


Backwater Princess

by dr_roses



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: BDSM, Dirty Talk, Dom/sub, Dominant Armitage Hux, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Kind of a slow burn, Loss of Virginity, Oral Sex, Praise Kink, Rough Sex, Shameless Smut, Top Armitage Hux, slight stockholm syndrome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:34:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 47,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23214868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dr_roses/pseuds/dr_roses
Summary: At a young age, Lyra was exiled by her father to the countryside of Voss, cutting off all communication with her. She spent her life helping her uncle in their tiny shop to get by. Life wasn't too bad for Lyra if you didn't count the loneliness. Things start to change when Stormtroopers are spotted in their village, and her uncle starts to act a little too jumpy.Lyra receives a letter from her father after years and is summoned back home. However, once she stepped out of the safety of her small cabin, her life would change forever.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Original Female Character(s), Kylo Ren/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 45
Kudos: 112





	1. Prologue

“Lord Kamadri Cartlan, to what do I owe this _most unexpected_ meeting?” The question hung heavy in the air, almost as heavy as the Lord’s reason to make such a call.

Lord Cartlan was at the end of his rope at this point. He was finally out of options, and his councilmen were growing restless with his actions, or mainly lack thereof. The planet of Voss had fallen into chaos with the Gormak attacking the capital city, Voss-ka. The tension was growing in his court; he knew that fighting back would only cause more casualties; their men didn’t have the firepower. However, if this fighting continued, he didn’t know how much of a capital city, there would be left to rule. The reports on his desk had been piling up with each passing day filled with the losses the town and neighboring towns had suffered. He could barely stomach them anymore. His hands were practically tied at this point.

A lump had clotted in his throat as he adjusted the collar of his shirt. Lord Cartlan wished there was another way, another man he could turn to, but Voss’s allies were tied up in their own busy to lend any additional aid out. He looked down at the giant dark oak table in front of him and then back up to the hologram display that was centered in the middle of the table. He opened his mouth to speak but hesitated. Lord Cartlan looked to his left to see his wife, Braya, holding his hand in hers. He squeezed her hand in comfort and then looked back to the blue hologram display. “Commandant Hux, thank you for taking the time to talk with me,” Lord Cartlan said slowly.

“Well, anything for an old friend, right?” Lord Cartlan gave the man a weak smile.

He needed to remind himself that he was doing this for his people and their future. “Yes, thank you,” he started, sitting up straighter in his seat, “as you may know, the Gormak have been ransacking our cities and towns and have now set their sites upon the capital. I wouldn’t be asking this of you if we weren’t in a dire situation and-”

“And what is it that you’ll be needing from me?” Brendol Hux cut him off.

“We need reinforcements, aid, weapons, anything. My men are strong, but we have few. The Gormaks have been trying to cut off supplies to the capital. I am asking for your help.” He said.

The words left a bitter taste in his mouth. Lord Cartlan watched the hologram display of Brendol lean back in his armchair, pretending to deliberate his request. “As much as I would love to help you, old friend, I’m afraid I just don’t have the time to be sending out men whenever someone comes begging for my help,” Lord Cartlan felt his wife’s hand grip his own in a vise-like grip, “besides, the council of Voss has rejected any help from the First Order when previously offered.”

He tried his best not to sigh. “All we had asked for was to let us harvest a small amount of the natural resources that your planet has to offer.” Brendol continued. He wanted to roll his eyes at that; 35 % of all of their resources weren’t a small amount. “I’m not asking on the behave of Voss, I’m asking as a friend.” Lord Cartlan explained.

That seemed to have gotten Brendol’s attention a bit, watching the man lean in on his desk. “Is that so?” Brendol asked.

“Yes,” he said.

“Well then, seeing as how this is a personal favor, that changes things, wouldn’t you agree?” He hated the smug look that appeared on Brendol’s face, but he was in no position to upset the man. Lord Cartlan simply nodded his head.

“Good,” he heard Brendol say and watched as the man grabbed his datapad off of his desk and start typing on it. “I’m sure we can figure out something to help each other,” Brendol said. Even though Lord Cartlan saw Brendol through a hologram, he still didn’t like the look in his eyes.

* * *

Less than twenty-four hours later, Lord Cartlan sat in his office alone, staring at his datapad with a message from Brendol Hux. He had been staring at it for the last few minutes, unable to bring himself to open it. What would Brendol demand in return for help? Swear alliance to the First Order? Hand over 50% of their resources? Resign? The thoughts made him sick. With a shaky, cold hand, he opened the message. A contract appeared onscreen, and he began reading it. He quickly scanned through the page until it got to what exactly Brendol wanted. Towards the bottom, he saw it:

_‘In exchange for the immediate deployment of 1,000 First Order troops to aid the government of Voss, Lord Kamadri Cartlan of Voss will willingly surrender his firstborn and heir to the throne into the custody of Brendol Hux.’_

He stopped reading after that.

“That bastard,” he said. Cartlan wanted to toss the datapad across the room.

“Of course,” he said through gritted teeth. He should’ve known that someone like Brendol Hux would ask him to give up his child. The man was heartless. His fingers tapped against his desk as he deliberated, eyes focused on the awaiting document. There had to be another way to give up a child he didn’t even have yet? And his wife, he knew that she would never agree to this. It was madness. Instead of signing, he opened up a new document on his datapad. He hoped that maybe if he offered something else that Brendol Hux might change his mind.

The thought of having his legacy taken away before his wife was even pregnant, the shame that would hang over their heads, it made his gut wrench. He started drafting a new contact in hopes of changing Brendol’s mind. Lord Cartlan was nearly halfway through when he felt the floor beneath him quiver. His head snapped up as the door to his office was slammed open, one of his guards rushing to him. “The Gormaks!” the guard yelled, “They’ve blown a hole through the capital’s southern wall!” He stood quickly from his desk.

“Get everyman you can and hold them off,” he ordered and sent the man on his way. He looked back at his datapad, snatching it off the desk. Lord Cartlan promised himself he would find a way to fix this. He went back to Brendol’s document, signed, and sent it.

He’d find a way to get out of this.


	2. Seasons Change

The sunrises on Voss was one of the many things Lyra loved about her home. She loved being out in the fields near the sweetcorn or wheat as the star slowly rose higher and higher into the sky. The way it cast golden streaks of light through the crops as they swayed gently in the morning breeze brought her a sense of peace. It brought her a much-needed warmth after cold summer nights. Lyra’s mornings usually consisted of sweeping the porch, tending to her gardens, and waking up her uncle before going to feed the animals. It was a routine that she had been doing for years now since she had settled into her life in the country. 

It was simple living, and Lyra did often find herself alone in the fields, collecting baskets full of wheat, corn, and wildflowers. During those times when she found herself wandering alone, thinking about what it would be like to do something else other than the same routine day after day. At the very least wished for a companion to be by her side when she worked the fields. 

She was still young and a part of her still hungered for an adventure like the ones in her books. However, she knew that she couldn’t leave the town due to the restrictions her father had placed upon her. She didn’t like to think about her time before coming to live with her uncle Remi. 

A noise from upstairs derailed her thoughts and looked over her shoulder to see her tired uncle lumbering down the wooden steps and into the kitchen, buttoning up his shirt. Lyra smiled softly as he sat at the tiny kitchen table and went to put on some tea. “Good morning, uncle,” she said as she slipped a cup of tea in front of him. 

Her uncle gave her a tired, crooked smile and ruffled her long blonde hair in thanks. Lyra moved back over to the kitchen counter, where she had been chopping up some leftover herbs from the garden. She picked up the small knife she was using and started mincing the herbs and bottling them up. “Why are you up so early?” she asked her uncle as he got up from the kitchen table and started to slide on his shoes. 

“I have a shipment coming in from the southern village. Lots of spices for the shop,” he grumbled and started to tug on his old coat, “Besides, I don’t want to miss them and have Bria stealing any of ‘em.” 

Lyra shook her head as she bottled up the last of the herbs and placed them in the cabinet. Bria was a local baker, and she and her uncle were madly in love. Although neither wanted to admit it to the other since they were both too stubborn for their own good. They were a perfect match. Instead, the two of them danced around the topic and complained about how much they _hated_ each other. However, for the past month, her uncle had been leaving earlier than usual to go down to the shop to ‘make sure Bria didn’t steal anything.’ As if Bria, a baker, would have any reason to steal the wool that she and her uncle sold. 

Regardless, she was happy to see her uncle so happy, even if he denied it. Lyra felt her uncle’s hand on her head once against as he slipped the teacup into the kitchen sink. “Before I leave, you haven’t told me what you wanted for your birthday,” he said, adjusting his coat.

She sighed and looked over at her uncle. “You know I don’t need anything for my birthday.” 

“Well, your birthday is about what you want, not what you _need_ , Lyra, dear,” her uncle said. 

She pouted her lips a bit as she brushed her hands against her apron. “I’ll think about it,” she told him. 

“Well, you only have a few weeks to think about it, so I guess you have some time,” he teased and gave her a quick kiss upon her head, “I’ll be off then.” 

“Say hi to Bria for me,” Lyra called out.

“I will,” her uncle said and then stopped half-way out the door and turned around, “I mean, I don’t know if she’ll be there or anything, but if I do see her, I’ll let her know you said hi.” 

Lyra couldn’t help but laugh a little bit and waved goodbye as her uncle shut the door. She cleaned up the kitchen a bit before climbing up the stairs to her bedroom to change, untying her apron as she went. Her room was small and cramped, like most things in their cabin, but she had managed to fill it with her favorite books and candles. Many of which were stored along the edge of her floor and her tiny window ledge. Her bed was also covered in quilts that she had made herself and some other unfinished wool blankets. 

Most of Voss was technologically advanced, but there were still some places where it was hard to a good stove or lighting fixtures. Lyra’s village was one of those places. Although it wasn’t completely remote, some service droids worked at a few of the local taverns, and some of the more well-off families had datapad and speeders. She didn’t mind not having those things, even though she couldn’t help but stare in awe when a shiny speeder came racing down on the many dirt roads nearby. Okay, maybe she was a little jealous. However, Lyra was often too wrapped up in her work at home to really concern herself with the world outside of her village. 

She tossed her apron into her small laundry basket and went over to her closet to get ready. She pulled out one of her few long cotton skirts in various shades of brown. Lyra had thought about getting prettier skirts or making some nicer ones herself, but since she spent so much time in the garden or around her animals, she knew they’d get dirty anyways. She tugged on a cream-colored blouse and tucked it into her skirt and closed her closet doors. 

Wandering over to her small vanity, which only held a mirror, her brush, and a small tray of pins, she sat down and started to brush out her long hair. She gently brushed out the tangles in her blonde hair and watched as the silky strands of hair tumbled back down against her. Her hair reached the middle of her back, but she often wore it up in a braided bun to keep it from getting unruly while she worked. As she started to braid her hair, her eyes scanned her face in the reflection of the mirror. She had soft features, round cheeks with matching wide eyes, and a small button nose that always seemed to be red from the cold air. Freckles dotted her pale face and chest from being out in the sun for hours. 

Her light brown eyes gazed down at herself in the mirror as she tied and pinned her hair up. ‘ _Maybe I’ll ask uncle for some makeup for my birthday?_ ’ she thought to herself.

She had rarely ever worn makeup before, and now that she was about to turn twenty years old, she figured that putting a bit more effort into her look was justifiable. Besides, she was sure her uncle was going to start trying to set her up with some of the other young men in the village. Lyra didn’t have anything against the men in the town, but she never felt drawn to any of them. 

Once she was done getting ready, she stood from her vanity and collected her weaved basket from the edge of her bed and headed downstairs. By the backdoor, she slipped on her boots and wandered over to where she kept the animal feed and hay. Lyra rested the heavy basket on her hip as she walked over to where they kept the sheep. Lyra and her uncle owned ten sheep and two very grumpy looking rams that they used to sell wool at their shop in town. 

She whistled, and they all practically came bounding over to Lyra by the fence. She opened the gate and shooed some of the sheep that nipped at her skirt and basket. Her eyes scanned the bundles of curly fur to count them and make sure there were, in fact, ten sheep and two very hungry rams. Once they had all gathered around the feeding post, she went over to the small barn to rake up the old hay and laid down a new layer for the sheep. 

After cleaning out the hay she went to leave but noticed the young lamb was tugging at her skirt. She smiled down at him and easily picked him up, laughing as the lamb happily bleated and snuggled his face into her chest. She loved her animals so much and never had a problem in handling them. She knew exactly how to soothe them, even the two grumpy rams that sometimes even charged at her uncle on a bad day. 

After comforting the lamb, she placed him back down and watched him run back to his mother. She tucked a stray strand of hair out of her face before turning back towards the gate and headed over towards the garden. 

* * *

Lyra swiped the bit of sweat that collected along her forehead with the back of her dirt-covered hand, sitting back on her legs and letting out a huge sigh. From all the work she did around the house, Lyra had built up a bit of muscle but was still too thin for her liking and still often tired herself out. The sun was high in the sky, and it was about time she took a break. She had pulled out most of the weeds that had sprouted in the garden and collected her things to head back inside. After she was done cleaning herself up, she figured that she should start doing her laundry.

She went around the house and collected anything that needed to be washed and brought it outside to start cleaning it. Lyra had just started pinning up some shirts when she noticed her neighbor, Anya, walking over with a bundle of cloths in her hands. Lyra smiled and waved her over, using her other hand to smooth out her skirt. “Hello dear,” she heard Anya say as she came up to her.

“Afternoon,” Lyra said, grabbing another shirt to hang. 

Anya was just about the only person in the village that she considered a friend. It was mainly due to the fact that she was the closest person that lived near her cabin. And for the fact that many of the people kept their distance from Lyra whenever she was at the market. They were all nice people but they never got close to her or wanted to know her. 

“How are you doing this evening?” Anya asked, shuffling the cloth in her hands.

“You know, same old same old,” Lyra said, poking her head from behind the hanging clothes to smile at her.

“Has your uncle started badgering you about suitors yet?” she teased.

Lyra rolled her eyes dramatically and placed her hands on her hips. “No, not yet, thankfully. I think he’s too love-struck with Bria to be worrying about something like that,” she said.

“Well, has anyone in town catch your eyes lately? I heard Cassier’s cousin would be in town for the next few weeks; I heard he’s quite a looker,” Anya practically sang. 

Lyra laughed and shook her head. Anya was nearly twice her age but still got caught up in all of the town’s gossip. “No one, I’m afraid,” she said and went over to pick up a blanket to hang up, “I’m sure I’ll find someone, eventually.” 

“But you’ll never find anyone to love if you keep yourself cooped up working all-day,” Anya told her.

“I know, I know,” Lyra sighed as she pinned the blanket to the hanging line above her head, “believe me, I sometimes wish I could be swept away for a little bit.”

“Then why don’t you travel then? See more than this little village here?”

Lyra stopped what she was doing to look at Anya, “You know why I can’t leave,” she said softly. 

It was no secret to anyone in the village who was Lyra’s father. Most of the time, Lyra tried her best to forget about him. Ever since she could remember, her father had found any excuse not to be near her or send her away. It became even worse when her mother had passed away, and her father had remarried. Lyra felt her eyes prick with tears for a moment before collecting herself. She heard Anya mutter an apology about forgetting, but Lyra simply shook her head, telling her it was fine. 

“Maybe this will lift your spirit?” Anya said and moved the cloth to reveal her homemade jam.

Lyra smiled and happily took the jar from her, thanking her. 

The two of them talked for a while as Lyra finished up hanging the laundry. They spoke about any interesting gossip that was going around the market and who would be throwing this year’s summer harvest party. As the evening turned late, the two of them were getting ready to say their goodbyes when they heard a distant rumbling. For a moment, Anya commented that it sounded like someone’s cattle might have gotten out and were running amuck. That idea was squashed when the two of them noticed the ships barrelling across the sky. 

Lyra counted four ships as they raced across the sky. Voss rarely received any off-planet visitors. “Did you see the symbol on the side?” Anya asked, causing Lyra to turn and look away from the darkening sky. 

She shook her head. 

“I remember seeing it somewhere but can’t remember,” Anya said and shrugged her shoulders, “maybe the capital is throwing some sort of fancy party?” 

Lyra huffed. “Who cares?” she muttered bitterly. 

“They looked like Tie-fighter, don’t you think?” Anya commented.

Lyra squinted her eyes at the rapidly disappearing ships. “Tie-fighter? What would tie-fighter be doing on Voss? Nothing interesting happens here,” she said.

The two them finally said their goodbyes, and Lyra went back inside the house. 

* * *

By the time her uncle came through the door, Lyra was almost done making dinner. The lights had gone out a little while ago, an unfortunately common occurrence in the countryside. So she took it upon herself to light a bunch of candles around the house, filling it with a warm and welcoming glow. She scooped a large ladle into the soup that she was making and poured her uncle a bowl. “How was the shop today?” She asked as she placed the bowl in front of him.

“It was steady today,” he muttered.

Lyra noticed the way his hand shook when he picked up the spoon she brought over for him. “Everything alright?” she asked.

“Hm? Oh yes, everything’s fine, dear. Just a little tired,” he said. 

“Alright, well, I’m going to draw a bath. I’ll be down in a little bit,” she told him and ruffled his greying hair before wandering up the stairs. 

Lyra thanked the stars that the water was still running and that it got nice and hot. She removed her dirty clothes and tossed them near the door before sinking into the awaiting warm water. She leaned back against the curved rim of the bath, letting the water pool around her collar bones. Her hands idly reached up to her hair and slowly started to pull out the pins and undo her braid. She messaged her aching scalp with her delicate fingers before grabbing a washcloth and a bar of soap. 

Lyra stayed in the bath until the water turned cold and got out to drain it. She wrapped her towel around herself and gathered her dirty clothes to put in her laundry basket. She placed herself down at her vanity and started to brush through her wet hair. When she was done and dressed in her nightgown, she made her way back downstairs to see her uncle still sitting at the table where she left him. 

She didn’t say anything while she entered the kitchen, noticing that he was writing a letter, his hands quickly scribbling across the page. “Uncle?” she called to him softly. 

He stopped whatever he was writing and looked up at her. “Yes, dear?” he said.

“What are you writing?” Lyra asked, walking over to the stove to make some tea.

“Oh, it’s nothing, dear,” he said, his voice lingering in the air around them.

When Lyra came back towards the table, she gave him a curious look. She watched as her uncle didn’t meet her gaze and kept looking back down at his letter. “Say, Lyra dear,” he started, “have you maybe...ever thought about sending your father a letter?” 

If Lyra’s jaw could hit the floor, it certainly would have at that moment. 

“I’m sorry, what?” 

‘ _What in the stars has gotten into him?_ ’ she thought, outraged and baffled by the odd request.

She watched her uncle sigh and lean back in his chair. “Well, I figured your birthday is coming up soon, and you’re getting to be a young woman. I just thought that maybe you’d want to talk to him?” he said.

“I don’t have a single thing to say to that man,” Lyra told him, gripping the sides of her teacup.

A heated confusion settled in her chest at the mention of her father. Her uncle knew how upset she got, even if she tried her best to forget him. “Not after everything he has put me through,” she added, taking a sip from her tea and letting the hot liquid burn her throat to ease her frustration. 

“What he did was unforgivable but-” 

“But?” 

“I just have a feeling you should reach out to him.” her uncle said. 

“Reach out to him?” she scoffed, “I’ve lost count of how many letters I sent begging him to let me come home. I sent letter after letter asking him what I did wrong for him to abandon me and have me sent away. And what did I get in return?” Lyra asked and watched as her uncle bowed his head, “Nothing, uncle Remi. I got _nothing_ from him.” 

“Your father is a busy man,” he said. 

“Yeah, too busy to care about his own daughter,” she retaliated. 

Lyra stood from the table, leaving her teacup where it was, “I might as well be dead to him,” she told him and stormed off towards the stairs. 

She heard her uncle calling her, but she ignored him and went straight to her bedroom, where she all but slammed the door shut. Lyra sank onto her bed, her hands clutching at her quilt in an attempt to comfort herself as she silently let hot tears roll down her face. She cried until her eyes stung, and eventually, sleep came to her, bringing her memories she wished she could forget.


	3. Broken Patterns

“What has got you all pouty today?” Anya asked as she came up to Lyra. 

The market was bustling today. All of the vendors were out, pushing their products and crops to people passing by. It was nearing the tail end of summer, and everybody was already trying to stock up for the bitter wintery months. Lyra looked over at Anya, who gave her a sympathetic look. “I’m not too sure.” she mused as she looked back over to the vendor she was standing in front of, “my uncle and I got into a fight a few days ago. We rarely ever fight about anything, so it’s been difficult.” 

Lyra felt Anya’s hand gently pat her shoulder in comfort. “Well, you two will get over it; eventually, I’m sure,” Anya said and looked over to Lyra’s full basket, “and what do you have here? I’m sure that must be heavy!” 

She smiled softly and adjusted the basket to rest on her hip. “It’s alright, I’m used to it by now,” she told her. 

“Well, if it does get too heavy,” Anya said, tugging Lyra close to her and hooking their arms together, “I think the butcher’s boy might be able to help you out,” Anya pointed her chin towards the vendor across the street. 

Lyra looked over and saw the young man stringing up the freshly cut meats. Their eyes meet for a moment as he adjusted the hanging red slabs, she saw him smile and wink in her direction. Lyra immediately turned away and busied herself with looking at the fruit vendor in front of her. 

Of course, she sometimes let herself think about what it might be like to be in love with someone, to kiss someone. Lyra never dared to pursue any of her infatuations when she was much younger. Mainly because she was too busy having her uncle teach how to farm or going to tutoring sessions. Besides, having people around know that your the Lord’s exiled daughter doesn’t bode well when trying to make friends, let alone flirt with someone. 

All the same, she wasn’t a prude by any means either, but she knew enough about what love and sex were supposed to feel like. She read about it enough in her books at home.

She didn’t have to look at Anya to know that she was giving her a cheeky smile. “Well?” Anya pressed.

Lyra pulled out a few coins from her small pouch she kept in her skirt’s pocket and traded with the vendor, not saying anything to Anya. “Hello?” Anya said, nudging her.

“He’s attractive, yes,” Lyra said, placing the fruit into her basket, “but I’m sure he looks at every other girl like that who passes by his stall.” 

“Oh, come, Lyra! You have to realize how pretty you are. If I looked half as good as you do at your age I wouldn’t waste my time having to do so much work,” Anya said, “I’d simply bat my eyes and have whatever young, good looking man do it for me.”

Lyra couldn’t help but laugh as the two of them continued down the rows of vendors, arm in arm. Her skirt was practically caked with mud from earlier that morning, and she was sure her blonde hair was slowly coming undone from her braid. It probably also had traces of dirt in it. She adjusted her basket again as Anya pulled her in front of a different stall. Her hands reach into her basket to take count of all her items to make sure she had gotten everything that she needed. Lyra continued to follow Anya absentmindedly as she leads her down the dirt road. When she looked up, she saw Anya ogling over some jewelry. She saw Anya turning towards her and pulled her closer to the stall. 

“Oh, look at these!” Anya all but squealed, pointing at what looked like the most expensive necklace she has ever seen. 

‘ _It does look pretty,_ ’ she thought, ‘ _but I can’t waste my money on something like that._ ’

She reminded herself that she needed to save up for the winter in case any of their supplies ran too low. ‘ _Although,_ ’ she thought, ‘ _there’s no harm in looking._ ’

The two of them looked over some of the pretty jewels when the woman working the vendor got Lyra’s attention. “I have something that would fit you perfectly,” she mused, pulling out a black box from underneath the table and opening it.

Lyra’s eyes grew wide at the necklace that was in the box. The stones were wrapped in silver wire and looked like they held the ocean within them. In the afternoon light, it looked as if the stones swirled with different shades of vibrant blues. She was mesmerized by it for a moment but pulled her gaze from the box and back to the woman. “I’m sorry, it’s lovely, but I can’t afford it,” she said. 

“Of course,” the woman said, closing the box on the gorgeous stones and putting it back under the table. 

Lyra excused herself and left the stand to continue down the street. Anya quickly followed her. “Lyra,” she said, falling in step with her, “those would look wonderful on you! Besides, isn’t your birthday coming up? I mean, what better excuse could you have to buy it!” Anya told her. 

“I know, I know,” she sighed, wandering to the next stall selling bread, “uncle and I make enough to get by, but I’d feel guilty if I bought something like that and then something happened to the house or the sheep, and we don’t have enough money to cover it.” 

She heard Anya sigh next to her, “You worry too much for someone your age.” Anya told her. 

“Maybe, but it’s not like I had much time to be a kid,” she said bitterly. 

Over the next few days, Lyra busied herself with work around the house and buying items she needed to stock up on at the market. It was late in the afternoon when Lyra arrived at the market. Most of the vendors were already closing down as she wandered by them. It was getting a bit chilly out and Lyra plucked out her shall from her basket, draping it around her head and shoulders to keep out the wind. She walked up and down for a little bit before stumbling upon one of the run-down taverns. She looked through one of the windows to see a bunch of the patrons gathering around one of the holograms, watching the news. Lyra stood on the tips of her toes for a moment to try and see what was going on but could barely see through the multitude of heads. 

She continued and finished up gathering the items that she needed. After a while, she found herself outside her and her uncle’s wool shop. She looked in to see him and Bria talking passionately about something. Lyra thought of going in but decided to keep moving down the road. For the most part, the two of them had ignored and forgotten about their fight and had gone back to their routine. She could still tell that her uncle felt terrible about upsetting her, but she knew that the feeling would pass. 

She made sure she had everything and started to walk towards the edge of town, towards the road that leads her back home. As she walked, she heard a noise in the distance growing steadily louder. She turned around and looked to see what it was. In the distance, she could see a small group of speeders coming down the road. Lyra stood off to the side of the road as she watched the speeders come closer. She could see them stopping outside the tavern. 

From where she was standing, she could only make out the white uniforms the men where wearing. It took her a moment to realize they were Stormtroopers. 

‘ _What in the stars are Stormtroopers doing this far away from the capital?_ ’ she wondered.

She thought of the Tie-fighters that she and Anya saw a few days ago. 

‘ _What are they doing on Voss anyway?_ ’ Lyra couldn’t help but wonder. 

As curious as she was to know why, when she spotted the heavy firepower each Stormtrooper was carrying, she decided that she wasn’t _that_ curious. She held her basket closer to her and quickly got back on the road to head home. 

* * *

The next morning, Lyra was finishing up in the garden once again. 

She reminded herself to ask one of her neighbors to borrow one of their long-handled sickles to collect the wheat that was ready to be harvested. She stood up, brushing her hands against her skirt when she heard her name being called. Lyra looked over to Anya running over to her, her face red. Stepping over her basket, Lyra went over to her quickly, reaching out to hold onto Anya’s arms as she almost barreled into her. 

“What’s wrong?” Lyra asked her.

She watched Anya pitch forward slightly to catch her breath. She waited a moment until Anya wasn’t breathing as hard and asked her again what was wrong. 

“Have you seen those Stormtroopers? They’re in the village ransacking the place!” Anya said. 

“What? Why would they be doing that?” 

“Word has it they’re looking for someone,” Anya told her, taking in a deep breath. 

“Here, come inside. Let’s get you some water,” Lyra suggested, and the two quickly entered the cabin. 

She poured two glasses of cold water and sat down next to Anya at the kitchen table. She placed a hand gently on her back as she took a sip. After she had calmed down enough, Anya told Lyra what she had seen while she was at the market. 

Anya explained how the Stormtroopers at first were just going around to some shops, asking a few strange questions, and then leaving without much trouble. “I’m not sure what changed,” Anya told her, “but they started to get aggressive with people after a few days. Apparently, they haven’t found who they’re looking for and started tearing up some stores. A few of them were waving and pointing their blasters at people.” 

“Do you know what they said? Or who they’re looking for?” Lyra asked. 

Anya shook her head. “No, I was on the other side of the market when it was happening, but it seemed like they’re gone for now, though. I heard Bria say that she saw most of them get back on their speeders and left town.” 

“Well, that’s a relief,” she sighed. 

“They nearly scared me to death!” Anya told her, taking a massive gulp of water. 

Lyra sat in silence next to her and let Anya ramble on a bit more about her day. Her mind swirled with questions about why Stormtroopers were doing on Voss. The planet had never picked sides when it came to galactic politics and was rather neutral in its stance when it came to either the Resistance and the First Order. Being in the outer rim territories usually meant that most planets’ governments just focused on their own and didn’t go around starting trouble in other systems. So, of course, having someone like the First Order, a powerful and dangerous organization, hanging around the planet raised a few questions. 

After a while, Lyra made both of them lunch and decided to sit outside on the back porch to eat. She listened to Anya’s theories as to who the First Order was looking for and what they were doing here. Lyra couldn’t help but hide her smile behind her glass at some of the more outlandish theories. 

As the sun was setting and the air grew colder, Anya decided to was about time that she head back home. When she got up, Lyra heard the cabin’s front door slam open and then shut. She listened to the sound of her uncle’s heavy boots across the creaking floorboard and looked over at the backdoor to see him standing there. Lyra slowly got up from her spot, giving her uncle a curious look at the stern expression that covered his face. “Evening, Anya,” he said, his voice sounded gruffer than usual and more strained.

“Good evening, Remi,” Anya said, fixing her shirt.

“If you don’t mind, I need to talk to my niece,” he told her and Lyra saw the pained look that flashed across his face for a moment before turning back to one of indifference, “alone,” he added.


	4. Homeward

“Before you say anything,” Lyra started as her uncle sat down at the kitchen table, “I want to apologize for snapping at you the other day.” 

Her uncle shook his head and told her that it was alright and then gestured for her to take a seat at the table. She did so. She watched her uncle wring his hands together as he sat there, staring at the table. Lyra knew he was hiding something, but she didn’t know what. He’d been acting more reserved than usual lately, and whatever was weighing on his mind was showing. She’d figured that he would tell her when the time was right, which she guessed was tonight. The two of them sat in silence for a few moments. Lyra didn’t know what else to say or what was causing her uncle so much distress. She had been living with him for nearly ten years now. The only other time she had seen him act this way was when she first arrived at his doorstep, a tired and sniffling mess. Lyra’s father had sent her away right before her tenth birthday and was bitter at not only her father but at the whole world. 

Her uncle had let her cry and mope for a few days before getting strict with her and putting her to work in the garden and with the animals. Still, even as she looked back at it now, her uncle’s strict treatment to her was much better than what she had dealt with when she lived in the capital. At the very least, her uncle had shown her affection and encouraged her while doing new and challenging tasks. It was more than her father had ever said to her. 

She reached out her hand and took one of his dry, wrinkled hands in hers. “Whatever you have to tell me, it’s okay,” she said, hoping that it might stir her uncle into talking. 

“I’ve been putting it off for as long as I can now,” her uncle told her, “because I know you don’t want to hear it.”

“Well, I can’t make that decision until you tell me what it is you’ve been putting off,” she pressed.

She watched as her uncle slowly pulled his hand away from her own, placing both of his hands in his lap. This made her worry. “Uncle, come on, you’re scaring me a bit,” she told him, leaning in towards the table a bit, “I don’t like seeing you like this.” 

She watched him take in a deep breath before speaking. 

“You have to go see your father.” 

Silence befell them again. 

It wasn’t the comfortable silence that usually slid between them while they were together or busy working on something in the same room. It hung heavy in the air between them and seemed to settle on Lyra’s shoulders. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but she couldn’t get herself to do so. She clenched her fist against the table before also bringing her hands to her lap and looking down. 

“I won’t go to him, uncle-” she started.

“Lyrella!” her uncle yelled at her, making her recoil in her seat. 

“I’m sorry,” he begged her, “but please, just listen to me.” 

Lyra’s face turned sour at the sound of her full name and quickly looked away from him. He never used her full name. She hated it. It was one more thing to remind her of her father and the capital. 

“Alright,” she said, her voice strained as tears welled in her eyes, “okay.”

Her eyes looked down at her lap as her uncle adjusted himself in his seat. “Your father sent me a letter a few weeks ago,” he told her, “He didn’t say much in it, I don’t think he could, in case someone intercepted the message. He said that there were time-sensitive documents about some personal affairs that you must be in attendance and sign them. He didn’t say what they were, but he did stress the importance of them. The letter also mentioned that he didn’t have much time left.” he explained to her. 

“What is that supposed to mean?” 

“He’s sick, Lyra,” her uncle said softly. 

She looked up at her uncle. For a moment, she forgot that they weren’t just talking about her father, but his brother as well. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Her uncle simply nodded his head, and once again, silence sat between them. Her uncle never really liked living in the capital, and since his brother was the lord, he moved to the countryside. Her father was the oldest out of the two of them, so the responsibility would’ve fallen onto her father regardless if her uncle stayed or not. At least when her uncle left the capital, it was his choice. 

“When did he...when do I…” Lyra tried to find the right words. 

“Next week,” her uncle said, “He needs you to be in the capital by the end of next week. I’m not sure for how long though.” 

“Okay,” Lyra said. “I think...I think I should go rest.” 

Without another word, Lyra left the kitchen and headed upstairs.

* * *

Lyra sat in the bath, her arms tightly hugging her knees to her chest as her wet hair fell over her face. She was upset and angry, but most of all, she was confused. Question after question ran around her mind. ‘ _Why now?_ ’ she thought, ‘ _He was so adamant about forcing me out and renouncing me as his child in front of others. He never cared. He didn’t care._ ’ He had berated her so often in front of others in the capital that she wasn’t surprised when rumors went around saying that she was secretly a bastard. 

Lyra wasn’t a bastard child, but she felt like one while she lived within the walls of the capitol building. The beautiful building that visitors gawked and awed at felt more like a cage to her. She barely ever saw her father, and when she did, he’d either ignore her or demand one of the servants to shoo her away. Everything she did was never good enough for him. She had tried everything to impress him and get him to say something good about her, or really anything. Lyra had tried taking up painting, dancing, singing, and even attempted to learn a few instruments. No matter how many hours she spent preparing something to show to her father, it was always poorly received. Thinking back on it now, while she stared at the soapy bathwater that surrounded her, at the very least, he had never struck her. At least, not intentionally. That was her stepmother’s unofficial job. 

Lyra’s mother had passed away a few months after giving birth to her. She had asked a servant one night, when she was only enough to understand death, what had happened to her mother. She knew her father was never going to tell her anyway, and when she did bring up her mother, it put him in a furious mood. The servant said that there was some complication during her birth and that the doctors couldn’t do anything and left it at that. When she was about six years old, her father remarried. He married a noblewoman from one of the southern territories on Voss. 

The first few weeks after they were married were relatively calm. Her stepmother had three children from a previous marriage, and for a while, Lyra was excited actually to have someone her age to play with. The children were all older than her by a few years and, at first, had seemed kind enough when they met. However, things changed, and Lyra once again had found herself at the receiving end of someone else’s fury. Her stepmother. She’d shove her to the floor if she was in her way, or kick her if she was standing to close to her. Her stepmother had even thrown books and thick glasses at her when she was in a fit. 

Her children were no better. Lyra had turned into a plaything for them. She could still remember the way their hands tugged at her hair, telling her that it was limp and ugly. Or pinch at her pale skin, calling her a ghost or sickly. Often, they’d throw dirt and spoiled food on her clothes, steal her toys and break them, leaving the broken parts outside her bedroom door for Lyra to find the next morning. 

She’d try to get them to stop. She tried talking to her stepmother and father, but her stepmother would simply tell her that she was selfish. Her father wouldn’t say anything and bury his nose deeper into whatever document he was reading. 

Her chest started to ache as she remembered the sickening and lonely feeling she felt nearly every night as she fell asleep. She could never win, no matter what she did, it was never good enough. She was never good enough. 

Lyra wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as she felt her tears slide down her cheeks. For nearly three years, she dealt with the abuse and isolation. Now, she had to return to it. She didn’t know which part she feared more. Her lungs felt like they were tightly coiled as she tried not to sob. The last thing she wanted at the moment was for her uncle to hear her crying. The bathwater had gone cold by now, but she didn’t care. She stayed in the water until her fingers started to prune, and she had cried out all of her tears quietly. 

When she was done, she drained the bath and wrapped a towel around her, quickly making her way into her bedroom. She put on her nightgown and started to dry her hair as she idly walked back and forth in her small room. ‘ _I’ll be alright,_ ’ she thought to herself, ‘ _I’ll go there and be back in what, less than a day? Signing some documents shouldn’t take that long. And then I probably don’t have to see him ever again._ ’ she told herself and slumped onto her bed.

‘ _It’s going to be fine. I can get through it._ ’ 

* * *

Lyra walked to the market place with a large bundle of wool under her arm and smaller bundles of wool in her basket. A few days had passed since she and her uncle talked, and with each passing day, Lyra grew nervous. She still had a full week before she had to leave, but the thought didn’t help much in settling her nerves. Instead, she tried to focus on her work. She planned on spinning the small bundles of wool into yarn to knit some new blankets and scarves for the shop. Even though fall was still a few weeks away, she knew that orders would be coming in soon. 

Throughout her years living in the countryside, she had found one thing she thought she did well beside tending to the gardens and her sheep, and that was making blankets. Her favorite part was embroidering them with intricate patterns around the edges and sides. As she walked down the market place, she noticed some of the vendors just starting to open up. It was still early in the morning, and as she walked by one of the stalls, she noticed the butcher’s son. He was already chopping away at a chunk of meat when he looked up at her. She saw him smile at her, looking her up and down as she walked by. 

Lyra felt her cheeks heat up a bit and gave the young man a shy smile before hurrying along. She picked up the pace until she got to the shop, the tiny bell above the door jingling as she opened it. Her uncle was already there, helping a customer collect their items. She smiled at the two of them, dropping the large bundle off on the counter and then heading to the back room with her basket of wool. The back room of the shop was small and held any extra supplies that the store needed along with Lyra’s small spinning machine to make spools of yarn and her loom for blankets. 

She sat there for a while, making a few spools of wool yarn before her uncle came into the room, knocking on the door frame to get her attention. “I’m heading out to go get some lunch, do you want anything?” he asked her. 

She stood up from her stool and walked with him back out to the front of the store. “I’ll have some soup, you’re going to Bria’s, right?” she questioned. 

“Maybe…” 

“Well, if you do, I heard she makes a delicious trout soup,” Lyra told him. 

“Noted,” her uncle said, and watched him smooth out his greying hair before pulling on his coat. 

Lyra waved him goodbye as she walked behind the counter. She busied herself between customers with sweeping the floor and organizing some of the shelves around the store. It was a beautiful and warm day, and as time ticked by, more and more people were out and about in the market. As she waited for her uncle, a young woman came into the store to ask about her blankets. They talked for a little bit, and the woman bought one blanket and ordered another one for her children. Lyra told her it would take a few days to make it and that she could come by the store to pick it up. 

After the woman left, her uncle showed up with their lunch and a big smile on his face. “You look happy,” she said. 

The two of them ate together in relative peace and watched the market from inside the shop. Lyra spotted a few familiar faces walking about outside and some others stumbling in and out of the tavern across the way. Once she was done with her soup, she cleaned up and went back to work. She needed to get a few more things done before she could call it a day. 

Lyra focused on her work, barely noticing when her uncle came into the room to grab a few things for the front of the store. She had switched over to her loom and was just finishing up a blanket. Her small, delicate hands worked rhythmically between the machine and the fabric. She was quite proud of her work with this one and quickly did the last few stitches before taking it off the machine. Grabbing her needle and thread, she started hemming the edges of the giant blanket, humming softly to herself. 

She didn’t hear her uncle call her name the first time, being so wrapped up in her work. However, when he called her name again, she stopped what she was doing, needle hovering over the fabric as she looked back over towards the door. “Lyra!” he called again. 

She could hear the tremble in his voice as he called to her and quickly shoved the blanket it off of her lap and hurried to the front. She stopped just short of the front room, one of her hands gripping the door frame. Her uncle stood there, his face pale. Lyra’s eyes snapped over to the other side of the room when she saw movement. There, in her shop, were two armed Stormtroopers. A capital guard was with them as well and was holding a datapad. Lyra watched with wide as the city guard turned to her. “Are you Lyrella Cartlan?” he asked her. 

“I...yes,” she stuttered, her hand gripping the door frame tighter. 

“We’ve been sent by Lord Cartlan to come to collect you and bring you to the capital. Tonight.” the guard informed her, pulling up a notice on his datapad and flashing it to her and her uncle. 

“What, no?” Lyra said, confused.

She looked over at her uncle, terrified, “You said next week! You said I still had time!” 

Before her uncle could say anything, one of the Stormtroopers jumped in. “Listen, kid; we don’t have to stand around here all night and talk. Orders are orders, and we’ve been ordered to take in tonight. So either come with us, or we’ll force you if we have to.” 

“She said no bruises,” the city guard said in a hushed voice. 

Lyra stood by the doorway; still, her body felt frozen to its spot. It wasn’t until one of the Stormtroopers started to make his way over to her that her body sprang into action. “Just-just a moment!” she pleaded. 

“Please, let me just grab a coat,” she said, and the Stormtrooper allowed it. 

Lyra quickly ran to the back room and grabbed her favorite coat, and wrapped it around her. Besides her book in her room, it was her only prized possession she owned. She quickly walked back out, her fingers clutching the sides of her coat in a feeble attempt to comfort herself. Her uncle came up to her and grabbed her, pulling her into a tight hug. He didn’t say anything, but Lyra felt him slip something into her pocket before pulling back. “Alright, old man, we don’t have all day,” the Stormtrooper said and grabbed Lyra’s arm.

Lyra let out a startled noise as she pulled from the shop and out into the streets. She immediately noticed the stares from the people nearby as she was practically dragged towards the speeders that the men had ridden in on. She felt her heart fluttering around in her chest as she was forced onto the back of a speeder. She turned around to see her uncle had followed them and had a grim look on his face. It was at that moment she remembered that he had slipped her something in her pocket and slowly reached in to feel it. 

She looked down at her pocket as she felt a letter of some sort. Lyra turned back around to look at her uncle as the speeder suddenly lurched forward. She stared at her uncle as tears filled her eyes until she could no longer see him.


	5. Hot Water

When the speeders pulled up to the capitol building, Lyra didn’t know if she wanted to vomit or pass out. Probably both. Her skirt was wrinkled from the ride, and her hair wasn’t fairing any better. She got off the speeder and tried to smooth out some of the wrinkles in her skirt with her hands as one of the Stormtroopers and the city guards exchanged words. She slowly built up the courage to look around. Everything seemed relatively the same since she last remembered being here. Of course, there were a few upgrades that she noticed here and there as well as some overly embellished decor surrounding the outside entrance—no doubt at her stepmother’s request. 

“Hey, over here, princess,” one of the Stormtroopers barked at her. 

Lyra hadn’t realized that she had wandered slightly away from the three men and immediately went back over to them, even though she would much rather turn the other way and run for it. “Follow me,” the city guard said and led her up the staircase to the entrance, the two Stormtroopers flanking them.

As they climbed the staircase, Lyra looked over the railing to the lower deck area that was situated off to the side. The large platform was used as one of the docking areas for the capital. Her eyes scanned the ships below until they found the First Order ships. Before she could look at them any further, one of the Stormtroopers shoved her forward, telling her to hurry up. She gave them a pointed glare but continued up the stairway. 

They entered the building and stood around in the lobby until a neatly dressed woman approached them, caring a datapad. Lyra could see her forced politeness a mile away. “I see our guest has arrived,” she said in an annoyingly high pitched voice. 

“I’ve been ordered by Lady Cartlan to take over from here,” she announced and dismissed the three men. 

Once the men were out of sight, the secretary looked at her up and down and did nothing to hide her disgust for Lyra’s appearance. “Would you like to be shown to your room? I assume you might want to change into something less...unsightly.” 

Lyra narrowed her eyes at the taller woman. “Oh,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her chest, “don’t trouble yourself over it. I’ll be out of here before you know it.” Lyra then pushed her way in front of the secretary and walked in front of her. 

“What a relief,” she heard the secretary say under her breath.

Lyra ignored her and headed down the long hallway, the secretary following a few feet behind her, typing away at her datapad. She walked down the hall, taking in all of the decorations that were lining the walls and ceilings. They were overdramatic, and it crowded the hallway, and a small part of Lyra wished to bump into a vase or two accidentally. 

When she arrived at the room, the secretary quickly told her that someone would be by to help her get ready and that the meeting would be later tonight. She watched as the secretary walked down the hallway, not sparing her a second glance. She rolled her eyes and entered the room. 

It was a small guest room, equipped with a bare bed, vanity, and closet with a small window that let a little bit of light into the room. Lyra sat down at the vanity to look at herself. Her hair was a lot worse than what she had thought it looked like and immediately started to undo it. As she was undoing her braid, she heard a knock on the door. “Come in,” she called out and turned around to see a maid come in.

She was young, maybe a few years older than herself, and she was carrying what looked liked gowns in one arm and a basket full of items in the other. The maid smiled at her and placed the items on the empty bed. “I’m Hollie, I’ll be helping you this evening,” she told her. 

Lyra gave her a tight smile as she came over to her. “Oh, thank you,” she said softly. 

She watched Hollie dig through her basket and retrieve a hairbrush, coming over to Lyra and telling her to sit back. She let Hollie undo the rest of her braid and watched, slightly embarrassed as she pulled out a few leaves that had gotten caught in her hair from the ride over. “Your hair is such a pretty color,” Hollie said as she gently brushed out her hair, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen such blonde hair before. It looks almost white in the sunlight,” 

“Oh, thank you,” Lyra said, feeling as though she’s just repeating herself. Then again, someone calling anything about her pretty was foreign to her. 

She glanced at herself in the mirror, she pulled at her shirt, trying to smooth out the wrinkles that had formed. Once Hollie was done getting all of the knots out of her hair, she asked her how she would like her hair to be done for the evening. “Just a braid, or something...nothing too fancy,” she told her. 

“Of course,” Hollie said and started to get to work, “How was your trip by the way? You must be happy to be back home.” 

“My trip?” 

“Yes,” Hollie said, looking at Lyra through the mirror as she braided her hair, “Lady Cartlan said that you were on a trip for some time.” 

“Is that so?” 

Lyra felt Hollie pause in her work. “Forgive me, I didn’t mean to upset you, that wasn’t my intent.” 

“No, no. That’s fine, really. I just…” Lyra’s voice trailed off. 

She turned around to look at Hollie, the braid slipping from the maid’s hands and coming undone. “Would you mind me asking, how long have you worked here?”

“A little bit over a year now, Princess,” Hollie said. 

She stared at her for a minute before sitting up a bit straighter in her chair. “Would you mind answering a few questions?” she asked. 

“Of course, Princess,” Hollie said.

Lyra couldn’t help but smile. 

For nearly an hour, the two of them talked. Lyra had asked her what living here was like and such. Apparently, Hollie was very much a chatterbox and told her everything she wanted to know. She listened when she mentioned her stepmother and step-siblings. Hollie spoke at lengths about how, as of recently, Lord Cartlan had taken more of a backseat in regards to the going on within the capital, practically leaving her stepmother in charge and letting her children run amuck. She even admitted that in her time working at the capital; she had never seen Lord Cartlan. 

As the two of them continued to talk, Hollie confessed that many of the servants were surprised when Lady Cartlan had announced that Lyra was coming. “I didn’t realize that Lady Cartlan had a fourth child,” she told her. 

Lyra didn’t say anything at that. Although she figured by the way that Hollie was talking and looking at her, that she knew that Lyra wasn’t Lady Cartlan’s child, at least not one hundred percent. ‘ _That would make sense,’_ she thought for a moment as Hollie talked to her about some of the courtroom gossips she had heard, ‘ _Being gone for so long and practically everybody has been replaced by a new hire.’_ It made sense that the staff didn’t know who she really was. She also doubted that her father brought up her actual mother to anyone. After she had passed away, he practically refused to talk about her. As if wanting the memory of her to fade away. Lyra felt that maybe he wanted to do the same now with her. He was having her sign whatever papers she needed to sign and then ridding her for good. It wasn’t like Lyra wanted to be here or live within the capital again, but she couldn’t help the sick feeling that settled in her chest at the thought of being erased by her father. Deep down, after all these years, it still hurt.

She listened to Hollie talk for a little bit longer, trying to ease the feeling in her chest. “I suppose I should finish getting ready. I don’t want to be late to the meeting,” Lyra said.

“The meeting?” Hollie parrotted.

“Uh, yeah, the meeting…” she said, slightly confused. 

She watched as Hollie’s face scrunched up in confusion as well. “I was told to get you ready for the evening dinner. The one...after the meeting,” Hollie told her slowly, “I believe Lady Cartlan has already started the meeting with-” 

“What?” she asked, standing up from her seat. 

“Which meeting room?” Lyra asked her. 

“But, Princess Lyrella-”

“You don’t have to call me that, Hollie,” she told her. 

“Don’t you want to get changed?”

“Hollie, please, which meeting room?”

She watched her think for a moment. “I believe it’s being held in the grand meeting room, next to the courtroom,” Hollie told her. 

That was all Lyra needed. She quickly walked to the door. “Wait, Princess,” Hollie called out to her. 

Lyra stopped with her hand on the doorknob as she watched Hollie grab one of the gowns from the bed, holding it up to her. “I heard that there are some important people from the First Order at the meeting. So, uh, maybe it would be best to change?” she offered. 

“It’s alright... I’ll be fine,” she told her and pulled open the door.

* * *

As she walked towards the meeting room, a small, angry fire started burning within her. She was angry, and she wanted answers. The last thing on her mind was showing proper etiquette and manners. She knew that no matter what she did, even if she was on her best behavior, that her stepmother and father would find something to criticize her about, so why bother in the first place? 

She eventually turned down the hallway that leads to the meeting room. She honestly didn’t know what to expect when she entered the room, but at least when she got to the door, there were no guards stationed outside of the room. 

Lyra pushed open the door with all her might, almost stumbling completely forward doing so. It was heavy, and it swung hard against the wall of the meeting room. The meeting room was large and had floor to ceiling windows that looked out onto the city below. High-backed chairs surrounded the large, oval table, but only a few people occupied the seats. Two people, to be exact. 

She took in a deep breath before entering the room; fists clenched tightly at her side as she walked up to the table. She tried her best to keep her head held high, but the adrenaline that was coursing through her veins was making her body tremble. Immediately the two people sitting at the opposite ends of the table turned to look at her. She didn’t look at the man sitting at the end closest to her. Instead, Lyra’s sight focused on her stepmother lounging at the head of the table. A shit-eating grin was smeared across her face. “Oh,” she cooed, “my darling little princess! How was your trip to the countryside?” her stepmother said. 

Lyra vividly imagined knocking that grin right off of her face at that moment. 

“Is that what being exiled is called now? Taking a trip,” Lyra hissed between her gritted teeth. 

“Oh, my sweet-” 

“Don’t start!” Lyra yelled. 

She could see that her stepmother was slightly taken aback at her tone of voice. Even Lyra was somewhat surprised at how venomous she sounded. ‘ _Good,’_ she thought. 

“Cut the bullshit act. I know you can barely stand the sight of me, so let’s not waste each other’s time with formalities.” Lyra told her. 

Her stepmother, at the very least, got rid of her smile and made a show of ignoring Lyra and turned her attention back to the man sitting at the other end of the table. It was at this point that Lyra decided actually to look at the man. He was impeccably dressed in his black uniform, and Lyra couldn’t help but stare for a moment at his ginger locks. Each strand of hair laying perfectly in place. She blinked owlishly at the man for a moment. She noticed the emblem of the First Order on his uniform, along with a few badges, signifying his importance within the organization. She had defiantly seen the man before, probably on one of the holo news stations that played at the tavern. ‘ _What was his name again?’_ she thought for a moment before her stepmother cleared her throat, getting Lyra’s attention. 

“Well, we certainly don’t want to take up your precious time Princess Lyrella,” her stepmother said mockingly. 

Lyra shot her glance but didn’t say anything. 

“I got my father’s letter,” Lyra said, looking back and forth between the two of them, “just let me sign whatever documents he needs me to sign, and I’ll be out of your lives forever.” 

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible,” her stepmother said. 

“And why is that?” she asked, crossing her arms across her chest. 

“As I’m sure you already know, your father is sick,” her stepmother told her. 

Lyra opened her mouth to give her a snarky response when something clicked inside her head. She remembered what her uncle had said when he brought up her father’s letter. The letter that she never saw with her own eyes. 

‘ _He said my father kept the letter short. That he didn’t want it intercepted, he didn’t want anyone to know…’_ she thought, her mind spinning before putting the pieces together. 

“My father didn’t send me that letter...it was you,” she said.

“Yes,” her stepmother said, smiling once again, “I had to get you here somehow, your father hid you pretty well. Besides, it wasn’t a complete lie. Your father is sick and is currently in a coma.” 

“What?” 

“Lady Cartlan,” Lyra turned to look at the man who had spoken. 

She noticed the man was leaning slightly forward in his seat, his hands laced together in front of him on the table. Lyra watched his piercing blue eyes stare at her stepmother. They looked calculated and cold. It made her want to shrink away from him, but she stood her ground. 

“As amusing as this all is to watch, my time is precious,” he said, “and I believe you’ve wasted a substantial amount of my time already simply trying to find the girl. Am I wrong?” 

His voice sent a chill down her spine; it was very matter-of-fact and left no room to argue. She watched as her stepmother’s hand clenched into a fist before relaxing. “No, of course not, General Hux,” she said, “it was an oversight on my part.” 

Lyra could tell that it pained her stepmother to admit that. Good. 

“Indeed it was. Stalling for time doesn’t seem to be your forte,” he said. 

‘I’ve _heard that name before,’_ she thought, ‘ _Hux...Hux,’_ she was trying to place the name when she felt a headache come on. 

Her hand reached up to the back of her neck to gently rub at the base of her skull to try and ease the sudden throbbing pain. 

“The child is unaware of the contract,”

Lyra nearly jumped out of her skin at the new voice. It was distorted and loud. She spun around to see a man dressed in all black with a mask and cowl leaning against the wall near the door. He had been mere inches away from her when she had entered the room but hadn’t noticed him at all. It didn’t take long to realize who it was. Lyra had heard the horror stories that surrounded the Commander of the First Order. She had also heard that he could use the Force and was lethal in combat. 

“Well, allow me to bring her up to speed then,” General Hux said. 

Lyra slowly looked over towards the General, however, now knowing that one of the deadliest men in galactic history was standing behind her, she wasn’t that fond of wanting her back turned towards him. She glanced over to see him turn on the display holo that was stationed in the center of the table. She watched silently as he pulled up a few documents. 

“I’m sure you’re aware of the Gormak war that took place on Voss?” General Hux asked, bringing up two files on the holo display. 

“Yes,” she said softly.

She felt her heart pounding against her chest when his eyes landed on her. Lyra opened her mouth to say something, she didn’t know what, but the look in the General’s eyes seemed to be unsatisfied with her response. 

“She’s a bit slow, General,” her stepmother jumped in, “you know how some backwater rats are,” 

“I’m not slow,” she softly through gritted teeth, “I am educated. Or have you forgotten that I used to live here too?” 

“As I was saying,” the General continued, “Voss’s government had no reinforcements and was fighting an uphill battle that was predicted to drag on for much longer than what the government and it’s people could sustain.” 

“That was when the First Order dispatched troops to Voss. To help aid in the fight,” Lyra added. 

“Indeed, the public records show that on this date here,” General Hux said, pulling up a document on the holo display, “the government of Voss accepted the First Order aid in exchange for natural resources. However,”

Lyra watched as General Hux brought up the second document along with the first. “Three days prior to this, your father signed a contract stating that in exchange for help from the First Order, he would give up his heir to the throne,” he said. 

She looked at him with wide eyes before turning and looking at the document. Lyra reached forward, tapping on the record and bringing it closer to her so that she could read it. Her eyes frantically scanned the report and saw the seal of the contract at the bottom. She saw her father’s signature. It was definitely his. She then looked back at the agreement just above the names. ‘ _I_ _n exchange for the immediate deployment of 1,000 First Order troops to aid the government of Voss, Lord Kamadri Cartlan of Voss will willingly surrender his firstborn and heir to the throne into the custody of Brendol Hux.’_ she read to herself. 

“Surrender custody…” the words hit her like a wall of bricks. 

Lyra quickly looked at her stepmother and then over to the General. “This-This was made _years_ before I was even born. The law states that-”

“Yes, the laws state that all parties included in any official government contracts must be present when signing. However, this isn’t a government official contract. Your father signed this contract as a personal matter, meaning that those laws do not directly apply to it,” Hux explained. 

“But...But this…”

Hux cut her off, “If your father hadn’t signed this contract, I would suspect that more lives would have been lost, and there would be no government to speak of.” 

Lyra felt her hands tremble as he spoke. She quickly looked back at the document and reread the agreement. “But it says, Brendol Hux,” she said, looking back at him, “and he’s been dead for years.”

She watched General Hux’s fingers flex and curl against the table at the mention of his father’s name. “Yes, however, all contracts and files in regards to him have been left in my possession to sort out. And I intend to take what is owed.” General Hux said. 

Lyra felt her breath get caught in her throat at that. She tried to find her voice to speak, but before she could, Hux continued. 

“I believe that’s only fair, wouldn’t you agree?” he asked her. 

This was all happening too fast for Lyra. 

“This is a debt that is long overdue to be paid,” he told her.

She felt tears start to blur her vision and quickly blinked them away. ‘ _No,’_ she thought, her eyes going back to the contract, ‘ _no, no, no...there has to be something here. A loophole. Something,’_ her eyes frantically searched the file, but she found nothing. 

“It’s useless,” the Commander said, making Lyra flinch hard and quickly look back at the man, “Give it up.” 

Lyra noticed that he had moved from his spot and was now standing closer to her than she felt comfortable with, causing her to take a small step away from him. “I demand to see my father,” Lyra said, as even as she could get her voice to sound. 

“As I’ve already said, he’s in a coma,” her stepmother said, “or are you that dense that you’ve already forgotten?” 

Lyra glared at her, slowly moving away from the approaching Commander to keep her distance. “Forgive me,” she said mockingly, “if I find it hard to believe a woman who’s only ever told me lies.” 

“That is enough,” her stepmother said sternly, “You truly have no manners.” 

Lyra slowly reached down and clutched at her skirt. “I’m going to see my father.” 

At that, she turned around and exited the room. She heard her stepmother yelling at her to get back into the room. When she heard her call for the guards, Lyra started running.


	6. Princess of Nothing

‘ _She was right_.’ 

Lyra had found her father in the medical wing of the building. It took her a minute to convince the staff to let her see him, but she eventually was allowed into the room. He was hooked up to at least three different machines, each one producing their own series of beeps and noises. She wandered closer to him, gazing down at the oxygen mask that covered the lower half of his face. He had aged so much since the last time she had seen him. Even the, right before he had sent her away, he had been relatively old already. 

She stared at him in disbelief. She felt as if she had reached a dead end. Now she really didn’t know what to do, and her emotions were starting to tangle together. She didn’t know if she should be angry; he wasn’t here to give her answers or that she should cry. He was still her father. Her heart pounded against her ribs as she thought. She had waited so long. 

Lyra stood there, staring at him when a nurse came in and asked if everything was alright. She told her that she was fine and that she’d be leaving. When she walked out of the medical wing, she shoved her hands into her pockets. Her fingers brushed the letter that her uncle had slipped her, right before the Stormtroopers had come to take her away. She looked down either end of the hallway to make sure no one was coming and pulled out the slip of paper. She unfolded it and read the messy script that was on it. 

‘ _I’m sorry, Lyra. I tried my best. - Uncle Remi’_

Her hands started to shake. She didn’t know what that meant. ‘ _Did he know?’_ she thought, ‘ _Did he know all this time and didn’t tell me?’_ She felt as if her heart would burst from her chest. 

Tears started to form in her eyes when she heard someone walking towards her. She looked up to see two city guards making their way over to her. Lyra dropped the letter, letting it float down to the floor. She started to retreat from them as they grew closer slowly. “Lady Cartlan as orders to take you back to her,” one of them said. 

Lyra slowly shook her head, tearings falling down her cheeks. “No,” she whispered. 

“Come on, don’t make this harder than it has to be - _Hey! Stop!”_ he yelled. 

Lyra took off down the other end of the hall as fast as she could. She could hear the sounds of their boots pounding against the tile floor. She ran down hallways and climbed up and down different staircases until she lost them. 

She braced herself against a wall and looked down at one of the hallways that looked familiar and realized she was near the library. Lyra stood there for a moment, wondering if anything had changed in the library. ‘ _Probably not,’_ she thought to herself. Lady Cartlan never cared for the library or books in general. She decided to take a chance and see if one of her old hiding spots was still there in the library. She guessed that there was only one way to find out. 

Carefully, Lyra pushed open one of the doors that lead into the library, poking her head out to see who was in there. She saw someone sleeping at one of the study desks and quickly entered the room, making sure the door didn’t slam shut behind her. 

Quietly, she climbed the stairwell to the second floor of the library. She swiftly made her way to the back area where many of the library’s older reference books were kept. She slowed her steps as she approached one of the curtains and pulled it back. Behind the curtain was a small nook in the wall. She stepped into it and pulled the dark curtain back. It was tiny, but Lyra could still fit into the nook. She remembered hiding here whenever her stepmother or her children were tormenting her and wanted to getaway. 

Now, here she was again. Hiding. 

She pulled her knees up close to her chest, hugging them, and buried her head against her knees. She cried, trying not to be too loud. Although all her heart begged her to do was scream. Scream and cry all of the anger and pain out until she couldn’t anymore. Until she was drained of all of her tears, and just a hollow shell of herself was left. 

Her shoulder shook as she let out uneven, stuttering breaths. She wanted to go back home, but now she didn’t know if she could. 

She sat there for what felt like hours. Her eyes stung from crying so much and continuously wiping away her tears. Her chest ached, and her heart felt sore from beating so hard. Once her breathing started to even out a bit, she began to think of what to do next. She thought that maybe she could escape. If she was quiet enough and took the right route, she could probably get herself down to the kitchen and outside from one of the loading docks. ‘ _Then what?’_ she asked herself. 

She didn’t have any credits on her or a datapad to contact someone. Even if she did, who could she message? All she had were the clothes on her back—nothing else. 

She had nowhere to go from here. 

After some more time had passed, Lyra felt her legs starting to cramp up. For a moment, she thought that maybe they had called off the search or had begun to search the gardens outside the building. 

She was just about to stretch her legs out, which would disturb the curtain when she heard it. The soft _thump_ of footsteps. She felt her muscles seize up in fear. Her hands quickly covered her mouth. The floor here was blanketed in carpet, and most noises never reached this area of the library. 

Lyra hoped it was the person she saw sleeping at the study desk just putting a book back. She listened carefully to the footsteps. She could hear them pause every few steps as they traveled closer and closer to her. 

‘ _In and out, in and out, deep breaths...deep breaths,’_

She heard the footsteps pause again, just a few feet from her. Lyra tried to hear over the blood rushing through her ears as she tried to stay as still as possible. She was so focused on trying not to make a sound that she didn’t hear the annoyed sigh that came from the person. 

“You can either come out on your own accord, or I can drag you out of there,”

‘ _Shit...shit,’_ she thought. 

She didn’t move. 

“Fine,” she heard him walk closer to the curtain. 

“Wait!” she squeaked out, scrambling to stand up. 

Her legs felt like jelly as she stood up, clumsily moving the curtain to the side and stepping around it. 

She came nearly face-to-face with General Hux. Well, face-to-face might not have been the right way of putting it. It was more so face to chest. Lyra knew that the man was intimidating in the meeting room. Order and control seemed to surround him. Lyra hadn’t thought about the man’s actual height. 

Her mind would have wandered around his face, taking in the high cheekbones, strong jawline, and beautiful eyes. If it wasn’t for the way, he was looking at her now. His frightening gaze made her want to crawl back into the safety of her hiding nook, but her body was too afraid to make any move to do so. Instead, she stared up at him, wide-eyed and trying not to tremble. 

“You’re efficient in wasting my time,” he told her. 

His voice rang in her ears at the close proximity. It sent a chill down her spine. “How-How did you find me?” she asked him, “Nobody comes to this-”

He held up his hand for her to stop.

“I figured someone like _you_ would hide around here,” he said to her. 

‘ _What is that suppose to mean?’_ she thought for a moment. She had a feeling if she asked, she wouldn’t like the answer. 

“If you’re done playing games, we need to get going,” General Hux said, moving slightly to the side to let her through. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” Lyra told him, her voice hoarse and shaky from all the crying.

“You don’t have a choice,” he informed her. 

“That seems to be a running theme,” she said under her breath. 

She saw General Hux raise an eyebrow at her. She didn’t mean to say it out loud. Let alone in front of someone like the General. 

“Need I remind you that, as heir to the throne, your first reaction shouldn’t be to run away from your problems,” he said. 

“I barely know what’s going on!” she told him.

“I was perfectly fine living in the countryside, unbothered by all of this,” she said, “I know my father never wanted me. I just want to be left alone.”

“It would seem that you truly don’t know the situation that you’re in,” he said, almost sighing. 

She watched as General Hux took out his datapad and started typing. He pulled up the contract once again, along with something else. Lyra narrowed her eyes as she was shown a series of messages. She read them as the General explained them to her. 

“Your father had a long term plan in wanting to get out of the contract that he had with the Commandant. He probably would have succeeded if he had planned it out a bit better,” he told her. 

“Your father intended to present Lady Cartlan’s eldest child as his heir once someone eventually came to collect on his debt. He gradually hired new staff to ensure that as few people would remember you,” he continued. 

Lyra looked up at the General then back down at the messages. They were time schedules, a list of people fired, and newly hired people. All of these were signed and approved by her father. 

General Hux then swiped at the screen of the datapad, showing Lyra another series of messages. “These were to your uncle,” he told her. 

“That can’t be true, we don’t have access to any datapads in the countryside,” she said to him. 

“Your father issued him a disposable datapad. Each month he transferred a sizeable amount of credits into his bank account,” General Hux said, “As compensation for taking you in, of course. Lady Cartlan hacked the datapad and intercepted the messages. Bringing your father’s plan to light.” 

Lyra felt as if her heart was in her throat. 

“After your mother found out about his plans-”

“She not my mother.”

General Hux gave her a warning look. 

“Afterward, your father slipped into a convenient coma. Lady Cartlan messaged your uncle, saying that he would no longer receive payments if he didn’t hand you over,” Hux said to her. 

He took the datapad away from her and put it away. She watched as he reached into his pocket and showed her the letter that she had dropped outside the medical wing from her uncle. Her face scrunched up at the note, wanting to forget about it. 

“It would appear that the incentive worked quite well,” he said casually. 

Lyra didn’t say anything to that. Her hands balled up into fists at her sides.

“If you’re done throwing a tantrum, we should be going,” he told her, turning to the side, intending for her to follow him.

“I’m not leaving. I just want to be left alone,” she said to him. 

“I’m not fond of having to repeat myself,” Hux warned her.

“And I said I’m not leaving with you,” Lyra said, standing her ground. 

General Hux stopped and turned to face her. The sudden relaxed and composed facial expression that swept across his face made Lyra want to turn tail and run. It was setting off all of the alarms in her head. _Run. Run. Run._

“I’ll give you a choice. You can either come willingly, or we can do this the hard way,” he told her. 

“That’s not a choice,” she said softly, slowly inching away from him. 

“Well then, I’ll make it for you,” Hux said and in a fluid motion, grabbed her wrist and yanked her close to him.

His leather glove encased her wrist complete, the sudden movement making her yelp and nearly stumble into him. Instead of keeping her close, Hux twisted her arm behind her back and shoved her against the nearby wall, pinning her there. Lyra’s face was pushed against the side of the wall; the air knocked out of her lungs as her chest was pushed up against it. 

She let out a weak hiss of air as Hux’s other hand snaked up to the base of her neck and gripped her hair tightly. The leather rubbing against her scalp. Her other arm was pinned between her chest and the wall, making it useless. She tried to shove him off of her, but his response was to simply grip her hair harder, bringing tears to her eyes. She tried to move her head around to ease the tension it was causing. She felt him squeeze her wrist harder and let out a small, pained gasp. 

“Enough,” she could feel his breath on the back of her neck as he spoke. 

He held her like that for a moment until Lyra couldn’t muster up the energy to fight back. Her body was drained. 

“When I let go of you, you will follow me without complaint. If not, I have no qualms against dragging you out of here by these lovely locks of yours,” he told her, giving her hair another tug for the extra measure. 

“Do you understand?” 

Lyra nodded her head. 

“You will speak when spoken to,” he told her. 

“Yes, yes, I understand…” she said, trying her best to keep her lower lip from quivering. 

General Hux held her against the wall for another moment. Lyra could feel his hands slowly move away from her, the feeling of his leather gloves retreating, dragging lightly across her skin. When he finally let go of her, she spun around quickly to face him. Her hand that was pinned to the wall cradled her wrist that he had grabbed. Lyra stared up at him with wide eyes, but Hux didn’t give her any time to process what had just happened and started to walk over to the stairwell. Lyra trailed behind him, keeping her distance and still holding her wrist. 

She followed Hux out of the library without a word, not once did he look over to see if she was actually following him or not. He leads her towards the main entrance of the building, seeing a few city guards wandering about and stopping when they notice their approach. 

She watched him stopped, and stopped as well, looking down the opposite hallway to see the Commander and Lady Cartlan walking over to them. 

From the look on Lady Cartlan’s face, Lyra knew she was about to go off about her running off when General Hux held up his hand to stop her. She looked down at the floor as the two of them conversed, only catching a few words of their conversation here and there. 

As the two of them talked, Lyra had the growing feeling of someone watching her. Carefully, she looked up to see the Commander looking in her direction. At least, she assumed he was looking in her direction, with the helmet on; she couldn’t really be sure. Lyra immediately looked away when she realized she was staring at him. 

_Such a small thing._

‘ _Huh?’_ she thought. ‘ _Where did that voice come from?’_

She felt the back of her head start to ache as it did before in the meeting room and again, rubbed gently at the base of her neck. 

_Weak_ _and fragile_.

The pressure increased, making her wince in discomfort. 

_But maybe not entirely useless_.

“What?” Lyra looked over at the Commander to see him slowly approaching her. 

Her vision blurred, and it looked like she was seeing doubles. 

_Sleep_.

Lyra felt her whole body give in and relax, losing consciousness. 

* * *

Hux watched as Ren caught Lyrella’s body before it hit the ground, picking her up with ease. For a moment, he thought that Ren could probably carry her around under one arm. The girl was terribly small. 

“Put her in one of the holding cells on the ship. We’ll take off in one hour,” Hux told him. 

Ren, as usual, didn’t say anything and sulked off. A sea of city guards quickly parted to let the man through. After they left, Hux turned his attention back to Lady Cartlan, who had also watched them go with a smug look on her face. 

“So,” she said, turning to look back at Hux, “we have a deal then? You have her now.” 

Hux stared down at the woman, pretending to fix something along one of his cuffs. 

“What deal?” he asked her. 

It was almost enough to make him smile with the desperate look that ran across Lady Cartlan’s face. She watched her lean in closer. “You said that you’d _take care of her_ leaving me in charge, in exchange for a higher cut of our oil exports.” 

“Ah yes, that,” Hux said smoothly, “Why would I get rid of her? With her, in my custody, I have Voss’s only legitimate heir in the palm of my hands.” He’d considered himself foolish if he didn’t use that to his advantage. 

“You bastard,” she hissed at him, but he knew she could do nothing about it. 

“I’d watch that tongue if I were you,” he told her, “with Lord Cartlan out of commission, you’re only a temporary replacement, and none of your children can stake a claim to the throne so long as the girl is alive.” 

Hux could feel the rage and embarrassment of being played roll off of her. He savored it. 

“This is not over,” she told him before storming away. 

Hux watched her leave before turning around and heading towards the landing docks. 

There was work to be done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey people! I'm really glad that folks are enjoying this story, I'm having a really fun time writing it! I just want to give a quick thanks for the encouraging comments to everyone that has taken the time to read my story! <3


	7. Establishment

_Wake up._

Lyra woke up on something hard and cold. She inhaled so fast she nearly choked and quickly sat up on her forearms. Her eyes felt strained as she opened them, and the bright lights above her didn’t help. She narrowed her eyes, trying to focus as the room spun like a carousel for a moment. She felt a bit dizzy until she got her bearings. Slowly she looked down at herself. She was still wearing the same clothes, although they looked a little worse for wear. Lyra started to think if she had any supplies in her bedroom, she could use to mend her clothes when everything came rushing back to her. A new wild and panicked energy coursed through her, and she quickly looked around her. She was in a small, all-white room, and the cold and uncomfortable thing she was laying on was a small rectangle slab connected to the wall. The room itself was rather frigid. Lyra sat up, rubbing her hands together to get them a bit warmer. She noticed a door in front of her, precisely on the opposite side of the room from where she was sitting. She could see the small keypad that was on the wall next to the door. 

She got up slowly and went over to it. She punched in a few numbers to see if it would open. The small screen above the keypad blinked red, showing _access denied_. Lyra started to punch in a few other codes, ones she remembered using back at home when it dawned on her that she wasn’t home. The sudden rumbling of the whole room told her everything she needed to know. She was on a ship. _‘Shit, shit,’_ she thought, ‘ _how could I be so stupid?_ ’ She started looking around the room to see if there was anything she could use to open the door. The place was utterly barren. 

Lyra turned back to the keypad and tried a few more combinations. All the while berating herself about getting into this situation. ‘ _I should have never left with those Stormtroopers,_ ’ she thought as another code failed to open the doors, ‘ _I should have just run away._ ’ To where she didn’t know, but Lyra would rather be on the run than locked up in some room. After about the tenth time of typing in a random code, she heard a bang on the other side of the door. “Knock it off in there!” Came a muffled response. 

She thought it must have been another Stormtrooper from the odd sound of his voice. Lyra huffed and tried once more with the keypad out of spite before giving up. She wandered back over to the slab and sat down, her hands resting on the very edge of the hard surface. Her eyes wandered around the room, looking up and down the walls and ceiling to see if there was an air vent or something that might help her. Nope. Just a blank expanse of white walls and bright lights. 

There was another rumble that vibrated the room, making her clutch the edge of the slab tighter until it stopped. A moment later, she heard the faint sound of static and a robotic-like voice. She tried listening, but the walls were fortified enough only to pick up the voice and but nothing distinguishable about what it was saying. 

‘ _How long have I been in here?_ ’ With nothing inside the room to tell her how much time had passed, she couldn’t help but wonder how long it’s been since she’d been put in here. As if on cue, her stomach rumbled. She placed a hand just below her chest and sighed deeply. ‘ _Of course, I’m hungry now._ ’ 

Eventually, Lyra moved back on the slab until her back hit the wall, slumping a bit and crossing her legs in front of her, trying her best to relax. As she sat there for a bit, she ran her fingers through her hair, realize just how knotted it had become and sighed softly. Lyra was thankful that she found a hairband in her pocket and braided her hair messily into a three-strand braid to at least get it out of her face. She didn’t know how long she’d be in this prison so she might as well try and relax. She closed her eyes and took in a few deep breaths to calm herself and tried to ignore the closely gnawing feeling in her stomach. It felt as if hours had passed by as she sat there. Here and there, she heard movement or loud footsteps from just outside the door, but other than that, she just had her thoughts to occupy her. For a dreaded moment, she thought she would be stuck in here forever, to simply waste away. She quickly pushed that thought to the side. It would do her no good to think like that now. 

As time ticked by, Lyra’s mind wandered back to what had happened on Voss, trying to make some sense out of it. The stories she had heard from some of the villagers about the First Order made her shiver in her spot. Lyra had heard of the gruesome stories about Kylo Ren, but she couldn’t remember many about the General. Just thinking about him made her want to curl in on herself. The way he had handled her with such ease in the library despite him not looking nearly as massive as Kylo Ren was deceiving. The strength and fluid motion of his movements made her stomach twist, and Lyra didn’t know if she wanted to be sick or faint. 

Lyra tried not to think about that. She tried thinking about Anya. She thought about her face and how she laughed and always joked around. Then she thought about the new lamb on the farm, and she wondered if her uncle would be able to take care of all of them. Lyra wondered if she’d ever see them again. It was then that she heard movement outside of the door, it sounded like people moving about and once again tried to ignore it. For a moment, she had told herself to think nothing of it, until she heard the tiny _pings_ of buttons being pressed. She quickly lifted her head and looked at the door. The pad on the inside lit up a bright green, and suddenly the door _wooshed_ open.

“You must be Princess Lyrella; please follow me,” the cheery woman with round glasses spoke as she looked at her. 

The woman waved Lyra over. Without really thinking and just wanting to get out of this awful room, she quickly followed her. The thought crossed her mind that now was her chance to escape, but Lyra had a feeling she wouldn’t get very far. “I’m Dr. Esther Sartoni, and I’ll be conducting your examination today,” she told her, ushering Lyra to walk beside her down the hallway. 

“Examination?” Lyra parrotted as she scanned the hallway up and down.

From the looks of it, they were definitely on a ship. However, as the two of them kept walking, Lyra noticed that they didn’t pass anyone else. In fact, besides the general humming of the ship’s engine and the sound of their feet against the steel floors, she didn’t hear anything. “Yes, all new personnel who will be staying for an extended period of time here must have an examination. Just a standard procedure,” Dr. Sartoni said. 

“And where is _here_ , exactly?” Lyra asked as they continued. 

She saw Dr. Sartoni look over at her, giving her an inquisitive look. “I mean, one minute I’m on Voss, and the next time I wake up, I’m in some cell on a ship,” Lyra explained. 

“Oh yes,” the doctor said, almost smiling, “that would make sense. I was informed that the Commander had been in charge of boarding you onto the ship.”

The vivid memory of being in the hall of the capital building jumped to the front of her mind when she said that. The way he towered over her and how he had been inside her head. Lyra instinctively wrapped her arms around herself. The thought of being held by one of the most dangerous people in the galaxy made her shiver visibly. The doctor looked at her strangely when she did. “Sorry...just a bit cold,” she muttered.

“Oh, you’ll get used to it.” she told her, “Well, we’re currently on the _Finalizer_ ,” Dr. Sartoni said, adjusting her white coat as the two of them turned down a hallway. Lyra looked and could see that at the end of it was a ramp, and further out, she could see glimpses of the landing dock where the ship was parked. It looked massive. 

“The General has instructed that we keep you at a low profile at the moment,” the doctor said as they made their way towards the ramp, “until he sorts out a few things, which is why everyone was boarded off the ship before I was allowed to come and retrieve you. Sorry for the long wait, by the way.” 

Lyra stopped just at the lip of the ramp, staring at the doctor, scoffing softly. “If the General is so concerned about others seeing me then maybe he should have just left me on Voss,” she told her, her arms wrapping around herself a bit tighter, “he’s made it perfectly clear that I’m _a bit_ of an inconvenience to everyone around me.” 

Dr. Sartoni stopped and looked back at her, a small, sympathetic frown gracing her lips. “I’ll admit General Hux keeps everything on a relatively tight leash, but someone has to do it if things are meant to get done the way they should be. You’ll learn not to take _everything_ he says to seriously, though,” she explained. 

Lyra sighed deeply, letting her arms slowly fall to her side and continued over to the doctor and down the ramp. “He could be a little nicer about it,” Lyra muttered under her breath. 

She heard Dr. Sartoni laugh a little bit. “General Hux? Nice? I don’t believe that word is in his vocabulary.” 

The two of them walked slightly side by side, Lyra following a step or so behind Dr. Sartoni as she leads her through the landing docks. She glanced around, trying to take as much as she could in. Everyone seemed to be busy with their work to notice them as they walked by. When they eventually exited the docks, they entered one of the many identical-looking halls. Lyra was slightly thankful that the doctor hadn’t engaged in any more conversations as they walked towards the medical wing. She had been on ships before when she was very young, and her father had taken her to one or two diplomatic events, but all of those paled in comparison to the sheer size of this one. 

As they continued on their way, Lyra did start to notice a few people here and there glancing at her, looking at her up and down as the two of them walked past. She glanced down at herself, frowning once again. She stuck out like a sore thumb. Everyone that past by was neatly dressed in their dark uniforms and polished boots. Most of the women that she saw had their hair done up in smooth buns at the base of their necks. Lyra looked like the complete opposite with her braided hair down her back and wrinkled outfit. She noticed a pair of officers looking at her and whispering as she walked by and hurried her pace to keep up with the doctor. 

Lyra was almost thankful when the two of them finally reached the medical wing of the Finalizer. They entered a lobby type area where there were seating and a front desk. Lyra stood in the middle of the room as the doctor went over to chat with the person sitting at the front desk. Dr. Sartoni grabbed a datapad from the front desk and turned back to her, smiling, and once again telling her to follow her to the examination room. Lyra didn’t know why she suddenly felt the slowly creeping feeling of dread prick her skin as she walked through the doors with her. As they walked down the hall, she noticed once again that there was barely anyone in the halls. “Seems like a slow day,” Lyra said, attempting to fill the air between them. 

“Hm? Oh, this section is designated for higher-ranked officers and personnel,” Dr. Sartoni said as she tapped away at the datapad, “We’ll be using one of the more private rooms towards the back. I figured you’d be more comfortable that way.” 

“Oh,” Lyra said, slightly startled, “thank you.” 

She watched as Dr. Sartoni simply smiled and continued walking. They reached a door at the end of the long white hall and waited as the doctor punched in a quick code, the door swooshing open. As they entered, the door automatically closed and locked behind them. Lyra glanced around the room as Dr. Sartoni started to browse the cabinets that were off to the side. There wasn’t much. Like the rest of the ship, it was sparse and dull looking. It was also still cold. There was a small medical bed, along with some carts that were filled with tools and disposable cleaning supplies. Lyra could also see a few other trinkets on the counter near the cabinets that glinted in the light. 

Lyra stood still in the middle of the room, as Dr. Sartoni pulled up a cart next to the bed and instructed her to take a seat on it. She did as such, the think paper sheet that lined the bed crinkling under her movements. Dr. Sartoni then pulled her datapad back out and started to scan through whatever she was looking at. Lyra noticed as the doctor stopped and squinted at something. “Is this right?” the doctor asked, but Lyra simply looked at her, confused. 

“Have you not have an examination since you were ten?” Dr. Sartoni asked her. 

Lyra opened her mouth to answer but paused and quickly closed her mouth. She looked away from the doctor in thought. ‘ _Oh...I guess that was the last night I saw a proper doctor._ ’ she thought to herself. “Uh, unless you count a healer as a doctor, I guess I haven’t seen one in a while.”

“A healer?” 

“Uh, yeah? There was his older couple that lived in the same village as me, who treated people. Mostly with herbs and plant concoctions. If it was something more serious, you had to go to the neighboring village to get medicine,” Lyra explained. 

“And how often did you see these...healers?” Dr. Sartoni asked. 

“Not often. If I had a fever or rash from being out in the wheat fields,” she told her.

She saw Dr. Sartoni frown and then sighed softly and started typing something on the datapad. “Well, then this will take a little longer than I had anticipated. I’ll have to let General Hux know of the delay,” she said and then placed the datapad down on the cart next to all of her tools. 

“Right…” Lyra said softly, the mention of his name sent a fretful chill down her spine.

“You’ll be fine, really,” Dr. Sartoni said, trying to cheer her up, “I’ll just need to check up on a few things to make sure you’re healthy.” 

“Okay…” Lyra said apprehensively as Dr. Sartoni started to pull out some sharp instruments. 

“Then let’s get started,” the doctor said with a smile. 

* * *

“Hm…” Dr. Sartoni hummed to herself, and Lyra looked over at the doctor. 

“That doesn’t sound good,” Lyra said, watching the doctor look at her datapad. 

“Oh, no no,” she told her, “it looks like the majority of your tests came back with good results. You’re a bit underweight than what I would like to see with someone with your stature, and a few of your vitals are a little low. However, I’m sure they’ll be just fine with a vitamin supplement and a better diet. Once you’ve settled in and everything, I’m sure it’ll work itself out.” she explained. 

“Oh, good…” Lyra said, still sitting on the bed, her legs absently swing back and forth slightly. 

“I do need you to answer a few questions, just cover all of our bases. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes, and then you’ll be all set here,” Dr. Sartoni told her, opening up a document on her datapad as she pulled up a chair to sit in front of Lyra.

“We’ve got most of the basics out of the way, so let’s see…” Dr. Sartoni muttered, “Ah, here we go.” Lyra adjusted herself on the bed a bit as the doctor spoke. 

Lyra listened carefully to each of the questions that Dr. Sartoni asked her. Most of them were about if she had ever tried or if she was on drugs, or she had any medical conditions. Lyra said no to most of them, and the few she had said yes to were mainly related to drinking. She quickly explained to Dr. Sartoni that it was a tradition on Voss to drink after the harvest and that she had only participated in it a few times. She noticed the doctor smiling at her hurried explanation and informed her that she wasn’t here to judge her, just to make sure she was okay. “I think everyone should indulge themselves every now in again, in moderation of course,” Dr. Sartoni told her, marking it down on the datapad. 

She nodded her head as the question went on and on. “And what about sexual activities? Any recent partners?” 

“Excuse me?” Lyra asked, somewhat shocked. 

“Don’t worry, anything you say will stay confidential,” Dr. Sartoni said. 

There was a heavy pause surrounding the two of them, and the hanging question made Lyra cheeks flush a bit. It didn’t take the doctor long to notice this. “I’ll take that as a no then,” she said and typed it into the datapad. 

“Are you aware of the different forms of protection?” Dr. Sartoni asked. 

Lyra nodded her head. She thought back to Anya and how she had told her all about it when she had asked her since her uncle didn’t want to have _that kind of conversation_ with her. She remembered feeling slightly overwhelmed with all of the information. “Alright, good,” Dr. Sartoni said, “then we don’t have to go over some of these.” 

Lyra shifted on the bed as Dr. Sartoni tapped a few things on her datapad, “Not that that’s all set, is there anything else that I might need to know?” she asked her. 

“Ah, no, I don’t believe so,” Lyra said softly. 

“Good, then I’ll message the General to come and collect you,” Dr. Sartoni said. 

“Uh…” Lyra interjected.

Dr. Sartoni tilted her head at her and stopped typing, waiting for her to continue. “Uh, I think I might have a fever or something,” she told her. 

“Your temperature was fine a moment ago?” 

“I mean, I feel sick, actually,” Lyra said, holding her stomach, “maybe I should stay here until it passes?” 

Dr. Sartoni let out a knowing sigh. 

“You can’t stay in here forever, Princess,” the doctor told her.

Lyra’s hand that was not holding her stomach clenched against the rubber padding of the bed. “Please,” she whispered, staring at the ground, “I don’t know what he wants from me.” 

Dr. Sartoni gave her a sympathetic look, even if she wasn’t looking at her to witness it. “I know it must be scary or overwhelming right now. Being in a strange place with people you don’t know. I’ve been through it before, coming here. Eventually, things will settle down, and everything won’t feel as daunting.” 

“I don’t want to settle down here. I just want to go home, or at least back to Voss.” 

“For the time being, that won’t be possible. And I can’t speak for the General in what his plans are for you, I’m a doctor, not one of his advisors or anything, but I believe he must have a good reason to bring you here. General Hux rarely leaves the _Finalizer_ to conduct business, let alone for any personal affairs.”

“I just,” Lyra wrapped her arms around herself as her chest started to feel heavy with despair, “I just want to disappear.” 

“Princess-”

“Please don’t call me that,” Lyra begged her, finally looking up at the doctor as tears started to swell in her eyes, “I’ve been pushed to the side nearly all of my life. My family never wanted me around, and my uncle only kept me because he was getting paid to do so. Nobody wanted me. Everyone at the capital called me Princess, but everyone knew how I was treated. What my stupid, bitter step-mother said behind closed doors weren’t secrets. Everyone knew, but they didn’t say or do anything about it. They just let it happen. I was just an inconvenience to them, so they sent me away to be on a farm.” 

Lyra felt a stuttering sob leave her throat as her emotions consumed her. “Of course, I wanted to be a princess. I mean, who doesn’t want to wear pretty dresses? And dance with people in beautiful ballrooms? Or-Or eat sweet foods and travel?” Lyra said, not really asking, “I know it’s selfish of me to speak like that. But no one has ever thought twice about me and now all of a sudden I’m important? It’s just...It’s just not fair.” 

Tears finally fell from her eyes as she looked over at the doctor. Dr. Sartoni gave her a sad look and watched as the older woman placed a hand gently on her knee in comfort. “It’s not selfish to think like that. I understand. This is a lot to take in in such a short amount of time,” Dr. Sartoni told her. 

Lyra let her tears freely fall as she nodded her head. “I don’t know what to do,” she told her, “I don’t have anyone to turn to,” Lyra said through her tears. 

She felt Dr. Sartoni squeeze her hand against her a bit, getting her attention. “I shouldn’t be doing this,” she spoke softly to her, “but I’ll let you rest here for a little bit. I’ll tell General Hux that we’re waiting on some test results and that you need some rest. Okay?” 

Lyra felt her lower lip trembled as she nodded her head, wiping her eyes away with the back of her hand. “Th-Thank you...thank you,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. 

Dr. Sartoni smiled softly at her and went to collect her datapad to message General Hux. The doctor instructed Lyra to try and relax on the bed. Lyra thanked her again as she moved to get comfortable. As she went to lean back on the bed, the sound of the door unlocking pierced the air around them. Lyra and Dr. Sartoni snapped their attention over to the door as it slid open abruptly. 

Lyra felt as if her heart had stopped as General Hux entered the room. Dr. Sartoni stood up straight and faced the General at attention. “General Hux,” she said. 

“At ease, Dr. Sartoni,” General Hux said, waving her to relax her stance, “I see that your examination is complete.” 

The doctor went to open her mouth, but General Hux raised his hand to stop her. “I have all of the reports automatically set up to be sent to my datapad once the results are finalized,” he informed her. 

“Yes, of course general,” she said.

The whole time Lyra stayed still on the bed, frozen in place and staring almost fearfully at the General. 

“Then it would seem that your job here is done,” he said, his hands clasping themselves together behind his back as he spoke. 

The doctor nodded her head. 

“Excellent. Then you should be free to leave us. I’m sure you have other important matters to tend to.” 

Lyra stared at General Hux, wide-eyed at his response. Once again, Dr. Sartoni opened her mouth to speak, but the look that General Hux gave her advised her otherwise. Dr. Sartoni nodded her head and gathered her datapad in her arms, not sparing Lyra a glance. “Should you need anything else, General Hux, I’ll be here for the rest of the evening,” she said and quickly exited the room, the door locking behind her. 

The sound of the door locking shook Lyra out of her stupor enough to speak, tears still brimming her eyes.

“Please don’t hurt me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! Sorry, this chapter took forever to post! I hope you all enjoy it!


	8. The Eyes of a Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a tad bit short (sorry about that!), but it felt like a natural place to end this chapter. Thank you to everyone that has been reading my story! I truly appreciate it! Hopefully, everyone is enjoying where this story is going so far. Once again, thank you!

“Hurt you?” 

Lyra continued to clutch at the edge of the medical bed, her knuckles slowly turning pink and white from the intense pressure. She felt as if she had been thrown to wolves or, at the very least, a wolf when Dr. Sartoni left her in here with him. It was the last thing she needed, and here she thought she could put a little bit of trust in the doctor. But she guessed that there were limits that people would go to when General Hux was involved. Her eyes never left the tall man now standing in front of her. She noticed that he kept some distance between himself and the bed she was sitting on. Lyra thanked the stars that she had already been sitting down because she felt as if every nerve in her body was pulled taut. The growing realization that she was alone with him in a room with an automatically locked door did nothing to help ease her in his presence. As her eyes kept track of every little movement he made, she noted that he was staring back at her, examining her from head to toe. His eyes were calculated, cold, and she felt scrutinized under his piercing gaze. They stayed like that for what felt like a full cycle until General Hux finally broke the gnawing tension. Lyra watched him sigh and roll his blue eyes at her. “Are you honestly that terrified?” he asked her, “You look as if you’re going to faint.” 

Hearing his voice only made her clutch the bed even tighter. It set off alarm bells in the back of her mind. His voice was silvery, in the same way, that sneaky vendors lore in unsuspecting passerbys with false comfort. It sounds fantastic at first, and you want to get closer, but before you realize it, you’re trapped with no way out. “Forgive me if I don’t have the best first impression of you,” she said quietly, her voice shaking with every syllable that left her lips. “I tend not to like people who try and hurt me,” Lyra added.

Lyra watched him snort at her, his hands still meticulously placed behind his back. “Hurt you? Is that what you think I did? If anything, you should be on your knees, _thanking_ me,” he sneered at her.

Her eyes widen at his words. ‘ _Thank him?_ ’ she thought to herself, ‘ _Thank him!?_ ’ 

“Thank you?” she asked him, utterly baffled by his confidence. “What is it exactly you’d like me to thank you for? Taking me from my home, putting me on some ship against my will, or forcing yourself on me?” Lyra asked as she was starting to get heated. 

Her nerves were started to morph into a fit of false anger with each passing second, staring at the General. ‘ _He should have left well and good alone and not have bothered to come parading around the outer rim. If he thinks that I’m going to thank him for anything, he has another thing coming,_ ’ she thought. Lyra’s anger was slowly sparking from the stress of her situation and the longing just to go back home. 

However, then sudden, knowing look in his astute blue eyes froze her anger in her veins. Instead, she sucked in a short breath of air. “Is that what you think I did?” General Hux asked her, “Force myself on you?” 

Lyra knew better than to think he was asking her a question. “In the library…” she said slowly, “When… when you,” Lyra couldn’t bring herself to string together the right words. 

Even with the bit of distance between them, she noticed the small jump in the muscles above his pale lips, almost as if he was trying not to smile down at her. “I certainly wasn’t forcing myself on you, I’m not _that_ kind of monster,” he said to her. 

Lyra didn’t know if that statement made her feel better or worse about her situation. Her eyes glanced down at the floor for a moment to gather her thoughts, but as she did so, she noticed the general taking a step forward in her direction. It made her head snap back up to face him and scoot further back on the bed until she was nearly falling off the other side of it. “I was simply teaching an unruly brat a lesson on manners,” he stated. 

Her mouth fell open. From shock or embarrassment, she couldn’t tell. “Manners?” she asked him, raising an eyebrow at him. “You are…Are you serious!? I’m not a child! I was perfectly fine on my own. Thank you very much! I didn’t need some entitled bastard with a ship as big as his ego to come and rescue me from nothing! You could’ve ignored that contract, or-or terminated it. But no, you’re just like every other guy with a lot of money and power, and you just take what you want without thinking of anyone else!”

The moment the words left her mouth, Lyra could see the neutral expression on the General’s face change and knew she had crossed a line. Her heart dropped. Before her brain could register what was happening, the General closed the distance between them in two long strides. For a fearful moment, Lyra thought she was going to fall off the other side of the bed, but General Hux grabbed her by her arm before she could move any further. He yanked her forward and off the bed until she was forced to stand up unless she wanted to trip and fall. Her hands immediately went to his that clutched her shirt, and startled gasp escaping her throat as she quickly balanced herself on shaky legs. She tried to pull his hand away, but his grip was like steel. Once again, Lyra had to stare up as Hux nearly towered over her. She could see the storm that was brewing behind his eyes as he glared down at her. It made her own eyes start to water out of fear of getting caught in that storm. 

He leaned in close to her, boxing her in between him and the medical bed, Lyra closed her eyes and turned her head away from him. She could feel his breath against her exposed neck. “The way I see it, you either would have spent the rest of your life as a lonely, miserable peasant or your dearest step-mother would have put out a bounty on you sooner or later to get rid of you,” he told her, giving her arm a good squeeze. 

Lyra flinched as she felt his gloved hand released her arm to come and brush against her cheek. The leather was surprisingly soft and warm against her flushed skin. “I would argue that it was rather generous of me to have saved you from your predicament,” he said. 

Lyra felt the first tear roll down her heated cheek. She didn’t want to look at him. “What do you mean, a bounty?” she asked him.

She felt the general take a step back from her, still caging her in but having a bit of room to breathe. Lyra glanced at him to see him putting his hands back behind his back. “Voss’s political party has changed recently, more traditionalists hold seats in the government, and most are unhappy with the current royal in power,” Hux explained. 

Lyra slowly wrapped her arms around herself, staring at the floor. Her head felt like it was spinning. One minute, it seems as if General Hux is going to unleash a storm upon her, and then next, the storm has settled and acts as if nothing had just transpired between them. It was confusing to Lyra. 

“As greedy as Lady Cartlan is, she isn’t full of herself to have not noticed the tides turning against her,” General Hux said, turning away from Lyra to wander over to the small medical cart that Dr. Sartoni had been using earlier.

“In rather _loose_ terms, she confided in me that she would find you and hand you over to me, as per the contract. In an attempt to sweeten the deal, she proceeded to declare that if you were to, unfortunately, pass away under my care, she would donate fifteen percent of all of Voss’s natural resources to the First Order,” he said, his eyes scanning over the metallic instruments on the tray. “Unfortunately, for her, I’m not interested in that,” he continued, one of his hands reaching out to slowly stroke one of the scalpels that were laying on the top tray.

Lyra watched him, as her lungs heaved heavily in her chest. _‘What is he getting at?’_

“And it certainly won’t do me any good in the long run,” he said, retracting his hand away from the cart and placing it back behind his back. 

She waited as he turned back towards her. “You see, the government no longer wishes to have Lady Cartlan and her children running amuck as the royal representatives of Voss. They wish to have a more legitimate representative, and as it stands today, you are the sole legitimate heir to the throne.” 

“So, having you under my custody has its advantages. As of yesterday, the government of Voss has entered a deal with the First Order. In exchange for your safety, your government has agreed to supply the First Order with its natural resources for our projects,” General Hux said.

“For how long?” Lyra asked, managing to get herself to speak above a whisper. 

“From the looks of it, Lady Cartlan has done a rather impressive job of stifling a majority of trading partners and local mining companies. So, I would suspect it as, at least, a year to gather all of the required materials,” he explained. 

“A year?” Lyra said, shocked.

“That is if they met the agreed-upon requirements,” Hux said to her, “Should they fall short, there will be consequences.” 

“So, I’m just your prisoner then?” she said, trying not to sniffle. 

“If you find it that miserable, then I could simply go back to your step-mother’s original plan of offing you and taking fifteen percent from the government instead,” he told her, slowly making his way over to her. 

Lyra held out her hand in front of her to stop him, taking a few steps back until he stopped his advancement. 

“I’ll let you choose which one,” he said. 

“That’s not a choice. You’re asking me to pick imprisonment or death…” 

“I never said it was a fair choice,” he told her.

Lyra stopped to think about it. Of course, she didn’t want to die, but she didn’t know what exactly she’d be getting into if she stayed here. 

“You’re cruel…” she whispered, trying not to cry. 

“I don’t pretend to be otherwise,” he told her. 

Lyra looked away from him, her hand coming up to cover her mouth to try and stifle her sob. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried her best to will away the sickening feeling in her stomach. 

“Alright… alright,” she finally said, refusing to look at him. 

“Good,” he said, getting closer to her.

Lyra backed away until her back hit the wall behind her. She pressed herself against eh solid material in hopes that maybe it would swallow her whole, but she figured that she wouldn’t be granted any miracles today. She looked down at he got close to her again, her eyes gazing at the tops of his polished boots. 

She felt his gloved hand against her cheek, and this time it ducked under her chin to force her to look up at him when he spoke. “It would be in your best interest to do what I say when I say it,” he told her.

She stayed silent.

“There are some regulations that you must adhere to,” General Hux said.

Lyra was so focused on him that she hadn’t heard the door unlock and _woosh_ open. 

“So-”

“Playing with your new toy already, General?” 

Lyra flinched at the deep, modulated voice of the Commander. She watched as General Hux turned his attention away from her to look over his shoulder at the Commander, yet his hand stayed where it was, holding her chin up. Most of her view was obstructed by General Hux being so close to her and could only see the top of the Commander’s helmet. 

“And here I thought you were a patient man,” the Commander said. 

Lyra could hear the teasing tone behind the mask. 

“Oh, I am a _very_ patient man, Ren. Unlike some of us on this ship,” General Hux said, sneering at the other man.

Lyra felt his hand slowly slip from her chin as the General turned to face Commander Ren fully. “I’d hate for you to break this one too soon,” Ren said.

“The princess is my concern Ren, not yours. I believe you already have one too many distractions on your plate,” General Hux said.

Lyra watched Commander Ren move his head to the side briefly before turning back to look at General Hux. “The Supreme Leader has called a meeting, we are both to attend,” Ren told him.

Lyra heard the faintest huff come from General Hux, standing next to her. “Well then, it’s best not to keep the Supreme Leader waiting,” he said and then turned to look at Lyra, who nearly folded in on herself when she met his eyes, “Someone will be by to escort you to your room. Until then, you will wait here,” he said to her.

“Nod if you understand,” he added.

Lyra nodded her head.

“Good.”

The word sent a chill down her spine, but she tried not to show it. She stood in her place, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand as General Hux moved to exit the room. Lyra looked over to see that the Commander was looking at her, or at least it felt as if he was, even behind the mask, she could feel his gaze. 

She watched him then turn, his robe swiftly kicking up behind him before exiting as well. Lyra heard the door close and lock. She slid slowly down the wall, her hands going up and into her hair, clutching tightly until it caused a dull pain in her scalp and screamed out her frustration until she could barely breathe. 


	9. Easing Up

Thankfully, Lyra didn’t have to wait long until the door was once again opened. She was able to rest on the bed when an officer finally came in to come and escort her to her new room. She didn’t put up much of a fight when the officer ordered her to follow carefully beside him. All she could think about was wanting to sleep and possibly getting some food in her. As instructed, she followed closely behind the officer as they exited the room and walked down the hall. They stopped in the lobby of the medical bay, and the officer told her to wait there for a moment. Lyra watched the officer go over to the front desk and exchange a few words with the woman operating the computers. Lyra sighed to herself as she waited, gazing around the dull room. 

“Princess Lyrella,” Lyra heard her name being called and turned to look over her shoulder as Dr. Sartoni came over to her. 

Lyra turned to face the older woman, giving her a small smile as she approached her. She noticed the doctor removing a pair of surgical gloves and tossing them in a nearby trash can. “You don’t have to call me that, you know,” Lyra told her, her voice a bit hoarse from crying and screaming at the universe. 

“It’s a habit,” the doctor told her, “Lyra. I just came to check up on you before you left.”

“I’m alright,” she told her, not really wanting to explain what had transpired after she had left.

“Well, that’s good to hear. I was told that Commander Ren was spotted lingering around the medical bay area. That usually never a good sign,” the doctor explained to her. “It usually means more work for us.” 

_‘More like a welcomed interruption,’_ she thought. Although the mere thought of the monstrous man sent a chill down her spine, she didn’t want to entertain any ideas as to what could have happened if he hadn’t interrupted and told General Hux about that meeting. “Oh, yeah…” Lyra responded. 

“I see that you’re doing well, here,” Dr. Sartoni said, she reached into her large lab coat pocket and pulled out a small datapad, handing it to her. “I almost forgot to give this to you during your examination. There are a lot of restriction locks on it, but I put in my contact information so that you can message me whenever you feel like it.”

“Oh,” Lyra said and gently took the device from her, holding firmly to her chest, “Thank you.”

“Of course, I might not always respond right away since we get busy quite at times.” 

“Right, of course,” Lyra said and glanced down at the datapad. “I uh, I haven’t used one of these in a while.” 

“That’s alright, I’m sure you’ll have time to sit down with it and figure it out,” Dr. Sartoni said. 

The doctor put a comforting hand on her shoulder just as the officer turned back around from the front desk. “Dr. Sartoni,” he said, coming over to the two of them. 

“Are you the officer in charge of managing her?” Dr. Satoni asked. 

“Oh, no. I’m just here to escort her to her room. I believe Officer Brekker was designated with that task. He’s currently in a meeting,” he said. 

“I see,” Dr. Sartoni mused.

Lyra looked between the both of them. Catching on, Dr. Sartoni turned to her, “Officer Brekker is an up and coming young man. He’s very much a _‘do it by the book’_ type of person,” Dr. Sartoni said. 

“Which is probably why the General put him to the task,” the officer commented. 

_‘Great, a mini Hux to follow me around, I guess.’_ Lyra sighed to herself softly. After that, Dr. Sartoni said her goodbyes to her and the officer and left. The officer ordered her to follow him out of the medical bay. 

Lyra thanked the stars that the walk from the medical bay to the room where she would be staying was quiet and didn’t take long. They had to take a lift up quite a few floors to get to it and down some seemingly deserted hallways. The officer typed in a code on the door once they had reached it and ushered her into the room. He informed her that the door locked from the outside and that there was food in the kitchenette area. Before he left, he also told her that if she needed anything, just to message Officer Brekker through her datapad and locked the door. Once again, leaving Lyra alone.

* * *

The room was a lot bigger than what she had imagined on the walkover. For a while, she thought that she was going to be thrown into a similar room like the one she was in on the transport ship. Small, cold, with a hard and uncomfortable bed to sleep on. The room was large and open; however, it was still painted the same dull grey color that seemed to cover every surface on the ship. In front of her, by the door, was a slightly darker grey couch and two plush chairs opposite from it with a coffee table in the center. Further back into the room was the kitchenette area that the officer had told her about. 

Lyra tucked her datapad into her coat pocket and took her boots off, placing them by the door. As she did so, she took note of how dirty her clothing was compared to the immaculately clean living area. _‘I’ll definitely have to clean those later.’_

She wandered over to the couch, brushing her fingertips along the top of it, feeling the soft texture of the material before wandering into the kitchen space. There was a small fridge and stovetop tucked in together and up against the wall as well as a few overhanging cabinets. She opened one of them up, and sure enough, there was some food already in there. She pulled out a box of what looked like oatmeal. Looking through the cabinet, she noticed that there were a lot of protein shake mixes and energy bars. _‘I should have figured as much.’_ Of course, there would only be bland food on this ship. 

She sighed and put the box back, closing the cabinet and walked back into the living room area. Lyra noticed that there was a door off to the side of the room and went over to it. _‘I guess this must be the bedroom.’_

The door slid open when she got closed to it and entered the room. She turned back to the door when it closed by itself and checked the sides of the door. Lyra had figured that there might have been a way to lock the door but saw no panels or buttons. “Stars, you’ve got to be kidding me?” she said aloud. 

She huffed. ‘ _How foolish of me to think I’d get some privacy. I’m a prisoner of the First Order after all.’_ she thought bitterly. She turned back around to take in the room. There was a bed, with grey sheets, a small bedside table, and a dresser as well. There was another door inside the bedroom where Lyra assumed was the refresher. 

_‘I could use a shower right about now,’_ she thought. After traveling and everything else, a nice hot shower sounded blissful. 

Lyra walked over to the door, also noticing that it didn’t have a lock mechanism on it and rolled her eyes. She shucked her jacket off and took out her datapad from its pockets, placing it on the edge of the sink and draped her coat on the hanger that was near the door. It took her longer than she cared to admit to figure out the shower knobs worked. She was so used to drawing a bath for herself. Eventually, the water was hot enough for her and started to take her clothes off. She rummaged around the bottom cabinet of the sink and luckily found some proper products to wash up. 

She undid her tangled braided hair and stepped into the steam. Lyra sighed deeply, letting the hot water wash over her. For a few moments, everything that had transpired within the last day ebbed away from her thoughts. It was just her and the warmth around her. Lyra’s skin turned a blushing pink from the heat of the water, rolling her shoulder up and back to release the tension in them. She took a washcloth and started to scrub at her body. The warmth around her undid her knotted muscles and eased the ache between her bones as she slowly relaxed. Lyra spent a while washing her lengthy hair, combing her fingers through it as she plucked out the few bits of dirt she found tangled in her blonde locks. 

When she finally got the last bits of grime off of her, she turned off the shower and quickly wrapped a towel around herself. She searched through the small cabinet under the sink once again and retrieved a hairbrush. 

Lyra left her clothes were they were on the floor to deal with later and wandered into the bedroom. She went over to the dresser and pulled open one of the drawers. _‘Hm, guess they keep everything fully stocked, even for prisoners.’_

The dresser was filled with clothes, and Lyra quickly went through them. It was hard to tell some of the items apart since they were all shades of grey or black. She eventually settled on a pair of black slacks with a grey sweater and tossed them on the bed. She pulled open another drawer and found matching socks and underwear. Lyra quickly dressed as her body was starting to cool off from her shower. She noticed that she didn’t have anything to wear underneath the sweater and went back to recheck the drawers. The only thing she could find was a couple of fitted grey tank tops. _‘I guess this’ll just have to do,_ ’ she thought. 

Once she was fully dressed, she hung the towel up in the bathroom, grabbed her datapad, and went to sit on the bed. Lyra sat cross-legged on the bed and placed the datapad in front of her while she brushed out her hair. She played around with it in between brushing her hair; however, as Dr. Sartoni had said earlier, a lot of the applications were locked, or a security code was needed to access it. She went through the contacts and found Dr. Sartoni’s and Officer Brekker’s message I.D.s. Besides messages, Lyra could only access a few holo-channels on her device. She scrolled through them, bored. The majority of them were either news channels or updates about the First Order. 

When she finished brushing out her hair, she started to braid it. Now that her hair was sleek and properly brushed out, her braid didn’t look as awful. She pushed her hair behind her shoulders and picked up her datapad and wandered back into the living room. Lyra went over to the front door to inspect it. There was a keypad on it but decided not to test it right away. 

Instead, Lyra made herself some of the oatmeal that she had found earlier, taking the steaming bowl and curling up on the couch with her datapad. She scrolled through the news channels, wondering if there was any information that could be useful to her. A lot of it, she could tell, was propaganda for the First Order and updates on their triumphs over the Resistance. After what felt like hours and hours of scrolling and listening to news channels, Lyra finally decided that she should rest.

And rest she did. 

* * *

Until she heard something banging in the bedroom a few hours later. 

Lyra looked around and noticed that she had fallen asleep on the couch and groggily sat up. She rubbed at her eyes and picked up her datapad to check the time. It was 6:05 a.m. _‘Ugh.’_

She heard another bang and whipped her head around to stare at the opened bedroom door that she was sure she had closed. Carefully she got up and wandered over to the door, poking her head in. Lyra watched as a tall, blonde man rummaged through the dresser in the bedroom. “Um, excuse me?” she asked. “What in the stars name do you think you’re doing here?” 

She heard the man scoff and turn around to look at her. “I’m simply doing a routine check of the room. In case prisoners like you try and sneak contraband items such as weapons or drugs into their holding cells,” he said, closing a drawer with one hand and turning to face her. 

Lyra stared at him, dumbfounded. “So you just walked right in here? I was sleeping! Some sort of warning would’ve been nice!” she said, slightly furious at the intrusion and somewhat embarrassed that she hadn’t been aware of his presence sooner. 

“Sleeping or not, that doesn’t make a difference. You are a prisoner after all, do you think you’d be granted any privacy?” he asked her. 

Under any other circumstance, Lyra would’ve thought the cocky look on his face was dangerously charming, but instead, it lit a fire in her stomach that made her want to slap it right off of his face. She stared at him, “Well I-”

“Quiet.” he snapped at her. 

His aggressive demeanor took her aback. “Now, I’m not entirely sure why you’re here, General Hux seems to believe that that information isn’t privy to me, even though he has tasked me with having to look after you. That doesn’t mean the rules don’t apply to you, royal or not.” 

Oh. Lyra defiantly wasn’t going to like him. 

She had to stand off to the side as he went around the room and checked everything. All the while complaining and berating her. Once he was satisfied, he proceeded to tell her that she should only contact him if there were an emergency, and she _absolutely_ needed assistance. Lyra just nodded her head, not trusting herself enough to open her mouth and not say something that would land her in hot waters. 

“Good,” he said and pulled out his datapad. 

“And if you were to cause any trouble, I’ll be making a direct report to the General himself,” Officer Brekker told her. “And you don’t want to be on his bad side,” he added.

 _‘I think it’s a little too late for me in that department,’_ she thought.

Officer Brekker went on and on about some of the other rules that Lyra had to abide by, but after a few minutes, she simply stood there and zoned out. He didn’t seem to notice as he continued on his superficial rant. 

When he did finally leave, Lyra felt exhausted and irritated. Lyra thought of herself as someone who wasn’t easily provoked. However, if that was Officer Brekker’s job, he was doing an excellent job of it. 

* * *

After almost a week of mindlessly mopping around in her room, Lyra had had enough of Officer Brekker’s taunts and jabs. Once a day, he’d come by for a few minutes just to make sure that she was, in fact, still there in her room, bored out of her mind. However, in those few minutes, he could manage to get on almost all of her nerves. He also came in unannounced and, on more than one occasion, had nearly caught her getting in or out of the shower. She complained to him about human decency and boundaries. However, that only tipped him off to remind her that she should be thankful she even had a shower available to her, and not to flatter herself so much. 

Lyra had really tried the first few days to make some sort of small talk with the man, seeing as how she could be stuck in this room for who knows how long. And each time she did try and start a conversation, Officer Brekker would scoff at her and call her something along the line of scum, useless prisoner, or a waste of space. How charming of him. 

Lyra had found herself once again on the couch, under a blanket late in the afternoon, and scrolling through the holo-channels on her datapad. She had half a mind to send a message to Dr. Sartoni to see if she could fake an illness to get a few tests done, just to get out of the room at the very least. Plus, Officer Brekker wasn’t much of a talker, and she was starting to feel lonely. 

Her sleep schedule was off as well. Lyra mostly got a few fitful hours of sleep. The bed was nice, but it only served as a sharp reminder that she couldn’t go home and sleep in her bed. She missed her room, as well. The was the worn wood creaked softly under her feet and her stacks of books on her shelves and floor. She missed her old bed as well. It was soft and plush, unlike the hard spring mattress in the other room. Lyra also wished she could have one of her quilts to curl up in, the sheets on the bed were too thin. The whole bedroom, in general, made her long for her things and caused her mind to wander in the dead of night. 

The loneliness didn’t last long as she heard the growingly familiar sound of the keypad outside the door being activated. She sighed and placed her datapad down on the coffee table, turning to look over at the door as Officer Brekker entering the room. It was later than usual; he’d typically come by at around noon before his meetings. She only knew that because he would sometimes complain about them while he checked in on her, muttering the words under his breath. However, as she stood up, she noticed that the officer seemed off. He looked tense. “You, over here,” he said and pointed to the spot in front of him. 

“Alright?” Lyra said, walking over to him.

Without saying a word, he grabbed her hands and placed them in cuffs. 

“Woah, hey!” she said.

“Stop moving. General Hux notified me a few moments ago that he demands your presence,” he told her. 

Lyra sighed softly to her self. _‘Just when things were getting boring,’_ she thought. Officer Brekker quickly checked her pockets to make sure that she didn’t have anything in them and then ordered her to follow him. “The General’s quarters is a short walk away. Try not to make too much trouble, will you?” he said to her. 

When he said that it was a short walk to the General’s quarters, she didn’t expect it to be _right down the hall_ from where she was being held. He stopped her outside a large, industrial door that had a hand scanner instead of a keypad on the wall next to the door. Lyra huffed and shifted back and forth on her feet as she waited outside. 

Standing outside of the General’s door, it started to make a bit more sense as to why General Hux would want someone like him pushing her around. She honestly didn’t think she’d make it to the end of the week before she’d rip Officer Brekker’s head from his shoulders. It was probably his was of subtly torturing her. Everything that came out of his mouth was condescending and downright awful. She thought for a moment that maybe, just maybe, he might be as bad as General Hux or possibly even worse.

 _‘No,’_ she thought, _‘General Hux is much worse. Brekker might be annoying and pushy all the time, but he doesn’t step out of line.’_ She wouldn’t put it past General Hux to bend the rules to suit his agenda. It was sort of the reason she was in her current situation. 

Officer Brekker stood beside her, glancing over at her and shaking his head. She looked over at him and noticed that he was standing in a similar stance to General Hux. Back straight, hands clasped behind his back, and yet there was something about it that Lyra found off, but she couldn’t put her finger on. “Would you stop that,” he said to her.

“Stop what?”

“Moving around. It’s annoying,” he told her. 

Lyra looked up at him, stopping her nervous movement. She would have crossed her arms against her chest if it wasn’t for the handcuffs. Instead, she sighed deeply and tugged at the oversized cuffs around her wrists. They looked like they would be better fitted for someone nearly twice her size, but she didn’t mention it to him. “I would if you asked nicely,” she told him and then looked back at the door. “Seriously, is everyone that works here rude? Is that a requirement to join the First Order or something?” 

Officer Brekker didn’t say anything to that; instead, he simply rolled his eyes at her. Lyra started to tug at the cuffs again, noticing that they were looser than she had thought. _‘If I could twist my wrists around a bit I think-’_

Her thought jumped off track when Officer Brekker nudged her in her side with his elbow. “Cut. It. Out.” he warned her. “Royal or not, you’re a prisoner of the First Order.”

“And you’re acting like a child,” he added under his breath. 

“I’m most certainly am not-”

The door in front of them wooshed open, cutting Lyra off and immediately turned to see General Hux standing in the doorway. Lyra’s body grew still as the General stepped out into the hall. It was then that Lyra realized what it was that Officer Brekker was trying and failing to do. While Lyra admitted that Brekker was scary in his way, he didn’t have the intimidation or presence that the General possessed. Just seeing him made her heart race. She stood up straight when she noticed General Hux staring at her. His eyes roamed up and down her body but turned to address Officer Brekker. 

“Is there a reason she’s in handcuffs, Officer Brekker?” General Hux said, his voice soft but sharp. 

“Sir?” 

Lyra watched General Hux stare the other man down. “Uh, well, sir,” Officer Brekker started unsure of himself, “she’s a prisoner of the First Order, and it states in chapter 62 section 37, all prisoners of the First Order must wear -”

“Correction, Officer Brekker, she is _my_ prisoner.”

“Oh.”

Lyra snuck a glance at the officer to see the shock and confusion clear across his face. However, she didn’t dare laugh or even smile at his embarrassed expression, even though she wanted to.

“That will be all, Officer Brekker,” Hux dismissed him. 

Lyra watched the younger man salute the General before making a hasty exit down the hall. She could almost imagine his tail between his legs as he ran away. However, when she turned to look back at General Hux, she wanted to do the same. She was cautious as he stepped aside to let her enter the room. For a moment, she stood there staring at him and the doorway, before slowly entering the room. He came up behind her and nearly jumped out of her skin at the loud bang the door made, closing. 

Without saying a word, Hux walked further down the hall, and Lyra knew to follow him. The hallway lead into a massive open space. It was sparse, but the few items that decorated the room looked lavished and sharp.

The light fixtures on the ceiling cast the room in a soft dim glow—the light bouncing off of the metal and smooth surfaces of the furniture and walls. In the middle of the room was a large area that was slightly lower than the rest of the floor in the shape of a square, forming a natural step down all around the sides. One side of the pit was lined with the most substantial couch that Lyra had ever seen. The material was black and shined in the low lights. It looked as if sparks of embers were dancing across the stretched fabric. Lyra noticed the floor was lined with a white rug. She took a step closer, curious as it looked like that of an animal’s hide. Opposite of the couch was a massive fireplace, currently unlit. She blinked at the fancy, crystal-like coffee table that sat on top of the rug. She thought that she could stare in wonder at the upscale adornments for hours; however, the weighted gaze of the General shook her from her stupor. 

She quickly turned to him but didn’t meet his gaze. Lyra stood still as he slowly made his way over to her. She took in a deep breath and tried to prepare herself for whatever torment he would inflict upon her. Why else would she be here, if not to rub her situation in her face?

The sounds of his boots against the clear floor filled the room. As he got closer, he stopped in front of her, reaching out to touch her. Lyra flinched on instinct, but instead of grabbing her or striking her, she felt his hand touch her hair. She opened her eyes to see him holding the end of her braided hair in his gloved hand, examining it. She narrowed her eyes at the action, slightly confused. 

“Your hair is much lighter than what I had expected,” he said finally, breaking the silence and letting her hair fall back down against her body.

Lyra opened her mouth to say something but stopped. It wasn’t a compliment. 

“It’s much better now with all of that filth off of you,” he added.

 _‘Ah, there’s the insult,’_ she thought.

He started to walk around her, the weight of his gaze made her skin want to crawl, and her heart beat faster. Lyra felt like she was being sized up. She tried her best to stay as calm as possible and didn’t want to give him the upper hand. He was dangerously close to her now and kept her eyes focused on the floor.

“So, I see you’ll let any man put you in cuffs,” he said.

Lyra swallowed around the slowly growing lump in her throat. “No,” she said, maybe a little too quickly. “Besides, I could’ve taken them off. I don’t think Officer Brekker put them on properly,” Lyra added. 

At that, General Hux circled her and stopped just behind her and slightly to her side, his chest just barely brushing against the back of her sweater as his arms reached around to take a closer look at the cuffs. Lyra had to raise her wrists above her head as he lazily inspected them. “I see,” he mused, and suddenly her wrists were free from the contraption. “Next time you’re in cuffs, I’ll make sure they’re properly fitted,” he told her, his breath hitting the tops of her ear. “We wouldn’t want to damage those little wrists of yours.” His voice sent a chill down her spine.

General Hux took the cuffs and tossed them onto a nearby countertop and then turned to face Lyra once again. “Why am I here?” The words left Lyra’s mouth before she could hold her tongue. 

“I believe we’ve already established the reasons as to why you’re here,” he told her.

“No, I mean, why am I _here_. Right now,” she asked him. 

She saw the corners of his lips twitch upwards, almost forming a smile. “Well, as I’ve said before, there are some terms and rules that someone like yourself must adhere to while staying on my ship. I finally have some downtime on my hands, so I believe this would be the best time to go over those rules with you,” he said. 

“Why not just have Officer Brekker tell me them?”

“Officer Brekker is a fine young man; however, he still has much to learn,” he told her and moved away from her, towards the fancy island that was off to the side of the room. “But,” he continued as he pulled something from one of it’s lower cabinets, “I wouldn’t want anything that I say getting lost in translation.” 

“Oh, right,” she said, seeing that he was holding a bottle of what looked like expensive liquor. 

“I figured having a nice talk over some drinks would help ease up any troubles you might have,” he said and grabbed two glasses, placing them on the countertop, alongside the bottle. 

Lyra stared at the drink as General Hux popped the cork off with a wet _plop_. He poured the amber-colored liquor into the two glasses. He picked up both and walked over to her, offering her one of the drinks. Lyra carefully took it in both hands, staring down at the liquid as it swirled in its container. 

“Come,” he said, and Lyra looked up to see him moving over towards the couch. 

However, Lyra stood where she was, slightly nervous that if she was to move, she might stumble. _‘What is he playing at? What is his game?’_ she thought. 

“Relax, dear, I didn’t poison it,” Hux said to her, taking a sip from his glass to prove a point. 

Lyra looked back down at her glass, bringing close to her lips and sniffed it. The smell was sharp and stung her eyes slightly. She took a deep breath and quickly downed a massive gulp of the liquid. It stung her throat as it slid down it, and Lyra could taste the faint hint cinnamon. She tried not to cough and looked over to see Hux’s amused face staring at her. “That’s certainly one way to do it,” he said and then patted a spot next to him on the couch.

Cautious as ever, Lyra moved toward it. She sat a reasonable distance away from him, clutching her glass as if it would suddenly give her the strength that she needed. She noticed him take another sip from his glass and then placed it on the coffee table and turned to face her. 

“Before we start, tell me, how are you finding your room?” he asked her, his full attention on her. 

“Uh,” she blinked slowly. She thought it was almost strange to see him like this. The few times that he had been near her, he either had his hands on her, or she was crying because of him. “It’s alright...it’s good.” 

“Good,” he said and reached for his drink to take another sip. 

She stared at him, confused. Was he...Was he trying to be _nice_ to her? 


	11. Something Sweet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! Sorry, this took so long to upload (I had finals, yuck). I hope you all like where the story is going so far though! I would love to know what people think! Thank you!!

“So you just want to...talk?” 

“I don’t see the harm in it, do you?” Hux asked. 

Lyra’s fingers tapped softly against the side of the glass as she thought to herself. 

“No, I guess not…” she said slowly. 

“But?” Hux asked.

“Well...Well, I just wouldn’t have pegged you as someone who wants to get to know people. I guess,” she told him. 

“That’s true,” he said and took a sip from his glass. He seemed to down the burning liquid so easily. “It’s much easier to be feared than loved, princess. It comes with a few extra perks, but that doesn’t mean I’m absolutely appalled by human connection. I am human, after all.”

 _‘You could’ve fooled me,’_ she thought. 

“Besides, I make it a personal goal of mine to know everyone who is on my ship,” he added.

_‘Okay, I guess that makes sense.’_

“That must be stressful,” she said.

“It’s something one learns to handle and manage,” he said to her.

“I see,” Lyra said, taking another sip of the amber liquid. 

She tried not to make a face as it burned her throat, going down and settling in her stomach. She wasn’t one to drink but didn’t want to be rude. The last thing she wanted to do was unintentionally offend him. She didn’t honestly know why he wanted to talk with her. He made it very clear earlier that he didn’t think much of her. She highly doubted he had a change of heart or anything. However, she’d be lying to herself if she said she wasn’t the least bit curious about the man in front of her. There was something about him that Lyra couldn’t peg down, and it made her insides twist in a way she hadn’t felt before. It wasn’t just one feeling. It was like a sickly sweet mix of curiosity, hatred, and some heated feeling that made her body tremble. 

“I’ve read your reports,” Hux told her. 

“What?” she asked, nearly spilling the drink down her lips and chin. “Why?”

“As I’ve said before, I make it a goal of mine to know everyone on this ship,” he said. 

“Oh, right,” Lyra said, fiddling with her glass. “But I mean, there isn’t really much to know about me. 

“You could say I’m interested in people who have potential,” he told her, swirling the liquid around in his glass.

* * *

It was the first thing Hux noticed about her when he first saw her storming into the meeting hall back on Voss. 

_Potential._

For the briefest of moments when Lyrella had stood there, staring down Lady Cartlan, he knew exactly what was going through her racing mind. Anger. The years of abuse that had slowly been piling upwards inside her poor, lonely soul looked ready to consume everything in its path without a drop of mercy. For a split second, Hux saw it and knew that he could make something out of her. He knew what it felt like. The feeling as though the universe has a personal vendetta against you and nothing that you do will ever satisfy its hunger. It was a sensation he was profoundly familiar with, and Hux knew that she could use that anger to help carve her way to the top. There was more to power than merely rising to the top. He learned that the hard way. It doesn’t matter what title someone holds; it’s all about the power, respect, and fear. Before he could test out what she truly had to offer, Hux needed first to see just how deeply rooted her anger went. 

And he had a few ideas on how to get it out of her. 

He took a sip from his glass, staring at it and lazily swirling it around and around. “You know,” he said, not moving to look at her, “I’ve read your report from Dr. Sartoni.” 

Hux noticed the small movement in her body as she adjusted herself on the couch at his words. He leaned back into the couch, throwing his arm that wasn’t balancing his drink on the top of his knee, over the top of it. Hux glanced over at her to see her emotions playing clearly across her face. “I see,” came her soft response. 

“I found some interesting details in the report that I’d like to discuss,” he said to her.

Hux saw the way her nimble finger clutched at her glass. 

“Oh, really?” she said, glancing away from him as she spoke. 

“Yes, however, I’d like to go over some of those questions that Dr. Sartoni asked you,” Hux said.

“What, why? Dr. Sartoni already went through them, and so have you. I don’t see why I have to answer them again. You’ll only get the same results,” Lyrella told him.

“Dr. Sartoni is good at what she does; I don’t question that. But she gets a little too attached to people, it’s one of her few faults, getting her emotions mixed in with her profession,” he said to her. “As I’m sure you’re aware of, I’m a very meticulous man.” 

Hux watched as she nodded her head. 

“Either way, if you say that all of your answers will be the same, then you should have nothing to worry about, right?” Hux said, his eyes lingering down towards the crook of her neck and the column of her throat before gazing back up at her. 

“Of course not… I didn’t lie,” she said, but Hux could see the way her breath seemed to make her swallow hard. 

“Oh, believe me, if you did, I’d know. So, humor me for a minute,” he told her. 

He watched her adjust herself again, sitting up a bit straighter against the couch. 

“Alright, fine,” she muttered. 

_‘Good.’_

“Right then, it states in the report that you’ve received a higher level of education,” Hux started. 

“I did,” she answered curtly. 

“And how exactly did you receive one in such a,” he paused for a moment to find the right word, “remote location?” 

“Books mainly. There were a few educators in some of the neighboring towns and villages. I tried to talk with them whenever they were visiting my village or gathering supplies,” she explained to him. “But I mostly learned through reading whatever I could get my hands on. I was lucky enough to have a generous enough neighbor who let me have their books.” 

“And you learned all of your subjects through books?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said, eyeing him cautiously. 

Hux took another sip of his drink. It was good that she didn’t trust him, at least not entirely. He could work on that later. “I’ve learned that the hands-on approach works best in most cases to help really get a feel for the subject,” he mused. 

“Is that so?” she asked him. 

“You don’t know how good you are at something until you’ve tried it,” Hux added and heard her hum softly in response. 

“Have you ever used a firearm?” he asked her.

She hesitated before speaking, “That wasn’t a question that Dr. Sartoni asked me during my examination.” 

“Correct, but I’m curious if you have,” he told her. “I need to exactly how _capable_ you are.” 

“I have before, yes. A few times,” she told him. “Winter gets hard on Voss, so you need to know how to hunt.” 

“And are you a good shot?” 

“Good enough,” she said.

“I’ll have to see about that,” Hux told her and noticed her rolling her eyes at him. 

The two of them went on like this for a bit of time—each asking the other a question and making some snide remark about the other’s answer. Eventually, Hux noticed the tell-tale signs of her slowly lowering her guard down. He regarded the way that she started to slump a bit further onto his couch. He had also observed the way her eyes didn’t flutter around the room like a skittish animal; instead, her line of sight lingered either down at her lap or in his general direction. Hux downed the rest of his liquor, making sure to keep an eye on her as he did so, seeing how she watched him with a mild look of curiosity dancing across her face. Now was the perfect time to push her buttons. 

“She also wrote down that you’ve had no sexual interactions before,” Hux said, leaning over to place his now empty glass on the coffee table and then leaned back on the couch.

“That’s completely out of line and none of your business,” she snapped. 

There it was—a spark.

“Oh, but it is,” he countered, “seeing as how you are under my command, it’s only reasonable that I do know.” 

“So you know who all of your subordinates have slept with?” she asked him with just a trace of bitterness at the end of her voice. 

_‘Just about,’_ he thought.

“If I deem it worthy or important enough, then yes. It’s my job to know the ins and outs of this ship and the lives of the ones who are on it,” Hux said. “And I would argue that you are near the very top of that list, princess.” He teased, “Seeing as how _I. Own. You._ ” 

“You don’t own me,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper, and Hux could see the slightest curl of her lips when her mouth moved. 

That’s what he likes to see. 

“That contract states otherwise, dear. Now,” he continued, “have you had any sexual encounters before? Maybe a lover, a _special_ friend, maybe?”

Hux could see the muscles tighten around her jaw as she glared at him. He didn’t let the growing color to her face go unnoticed either. He watched her intensely as he waited for her to answer the question. 

“No,” she said, almost as if it pained her to admit it. “I’ve had no such relationship. I preferred to focus on my work instead if you _really_ must know.” 

“Ah yes,” Hux said, leaning in a little bit closer to her, “because who would want to be with some royal reject who spends her day playing around in filth.” 

He could see her stare at him with open shock, mouth hanging open.

“What-”

“It would make sense,” he continued. “Who would want to tarnish their reputation with getting involved with someone who’s been publically shunned by her own family? Or, better yet, someone who’s quite clearly a pathic pawn in someone else’s game. It’s almost sad, really. You have the title of a princess with none of its luxuries, and who wants to be around someone like that?” 

“Stop it.” she spat at him.

“Oh? Or what?” he egged her on. 

“I’ll-”

“What will you do, hm?” he asked her, relishing the way her soft features grew dark. “You’ll waste my time and cry? It seems to be the only thing you’re good at, wasting time and crying about how unfair the universe is.”

Hux watched her slam her glass on top of the coffee table, the liquid inside spilling over a bit. She turned away from him and stood up from the couch. “I’m done with this conversation, I’m going back to my room,” she told him.

“You’re done when I say you’re done,” Hux said, getting up as well but not making a move to get close to her. 

She spun around to face him again, and that was when he saw it. A burning flame inside her peaking through the delicate air around her. He watched amused as her hands balled into fists at her side, and she stared him down with those doe-like eyes. He could see the way her breath caught in her chest as she tried to balance her emotions, but all he could think about was tipping her over. 

“Is this it?’ she asked him finally.

Hux raised a single eyebrow at her question. 

“Is this what the so-called great General Hux does in his free time? He wastes it playing childish games with people that aren’t worth his time?” she asked him, furious. 

“So, I take it you’re not having fun then?” 

“This is ridiculous,” she told him.

“I would wager your siblings would say otherwise,” he said. 

He watched her grow silent, her expression morphing from anger, to fear and then into a beautiful rage. 

“Stop it,” her voice shook as she spoke. 

Hux moved closer to her and noticed that she didn’t move back as he advanced on her. _‘Caught between running and standing her ground.’_ he thought. And he wanted her to stand her ground. “Should I tell you some of the interesting stories I’ve heard?” he asked, still getting closer to her. “Lady Cartlan has a rather loose tongue, but she does know how to tell a good story.” 

He watched her tremble right in front of him, his lips curling slightly at the sight of her. 

_“Fuck you,”_ she hissed through clenched teeth. 

“Oh, princess,” he cooed at her and grabbed her wrist. “You’d like that wouldn’t you.”

Then like lightning, he felt the palm of her hand against his cheek.

* * *

She hit him. 

She actually just hit _the_ General Hux of the First Order. 

Lyra didn’t know who was more in shock. Hux or herself. She didn’t think she could get this angry before. She wasn’t the type of person to hit someone, or yell, or swear or… 

“I-I’m,” her words tumbled over her lips. 

She stared at him as he reached up to touch his face and then looked at his gloved hand. His other hand was still around her wrist, holding her in place, but he didn’t make a move to strike her back. She wanted to say something, and the first words that popped into her head were _I’m sorry._

_‘No,’_ she thought, _‘he deserved that. He was taking things too far._ ’ 

She locked eyes with him, and at that moment, the heated anger that she felt slowly dwindled into embers. “Seems like you do have a little bit of fight in you, princess,” General Hux said, gazing down at her. “Not much, but I can work with it.” 

“I don’t-”

“Tell me,” he started. Lyra sucked in a short breath of air. She didn’t know if it was from the lasts bits of anger, the drinks, or just _him_ , but all of her senses were on him. Full of him. His voice seemed to lure her in because she could feel his hands moving against her, and she did nothing to stop it. Did she want to stop it? A small piece of her wanted to know more, tugging at the back of her mind and whispering into her ears, _‘This is something different. He’s different. He’s not like the butcher’s boy back home or the knights in shining armor in the storybooks.’_ Her mind felt as if it were riding a carousel that was about to lose all its hinges. _‘No, he’s a horrible man.’_ she thought. _‘He’s hurt me. He made me choose between being his prisoner and death. He’s not a good man.’_

And then the spinning carousel that was her thoughts seemed to slow down. _‘He hasn’t lied to me,’_ her inner voice seemed to coo at her. _‘So far, all he has done is shown you the truth.’_

His voice pierced her thoughts, her gaze refocusing on him. “If you had the chance to make your family pay, would you take it?” he asked her. 

Lyra felt as if the whole universe had fallen away from them when he spoke. Her kneejerk response was to say no. Lyra wasn’t a bad person. She had never thought about doing something as evil as making her family pay for the torment they caused her. She shouldn’t think like that. Besides, given her situation, there was no way she ever could. “I couldn’t...I don’t,” she stopped. 

She felt Hux’s hand leave her wrist to wrap itself around her waist and pull her flush to him. Her hands immediately went to push against his chest as he simply held her close. His other hand came and rested against the heated flesh of her cheek. Like before, the leather was soft and warm. She let out a shaky breath. “Would you do it?” he asked her again, his voice low. 

“Would you seek the justice you deserve for all the pain they’ve caused you? Would you make things right?” he asked. 

“Yes.”

The word came out before she could stop it. 

And then his lips were on her. 

All at once, she felt her body freeze and melt in his hands. Without thinking, one of her hands reached up to thread her fingers into his hair and felt him pull her hips closer to him. She felt his gloved fingers stroke her skin gently as if he didn’t want to frighten her too much. Lyra could taste the remnants of liquor on his lips. They were warm. Everything seemed so warm. 

When he pulled back, she felt her body wanting to lean forward. To chase his kiss. She didn’t want it to end. 

“Princess,” he whispered. 

Lyra felt her eyes flutter open when he spoke. His hand was still softly stroking her face. His other hand that was around her waist slowly traveled up to cup the other side of her cheek. Her face felt hot. With her own trembling hands, she slowly touched his, letting out a shaky breath. “Princess?” he said again.

Lyra tilted her head slightly as she gazed up at him. For a moment, she thought he looked concerned. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-”

“You’re burning up.”

She blinked owlishly at him. 

“What?” 

“You’re running a fever.” 

_‘Shit.’_


	12. Mixed Signals

"It's a kind of altitude sickness."

Lyra desperately wanted the floor beneath her to open up and swallow her whole. She felt as if she could die from embarrassment. Instead, she settled for telling herself that her face was flushed because of her fever and not from thinking about what had transpired between her and General Hux. When he noticed the fever, he sent her directly to the medical bay to see Dr. Sartoni—assisted by Officer Brekker, of course, who wasn't too happy about being woken up past midnight. Lyra had to take a few tests to figure out what was causing the fever, but luckily it wasn't anything serious. "You'll need to rest for a day or two and should be back to normal," Dr. Sartoni said and handed her a small prescription bottle. 

"Take these twice a day for the next three days, and you should be all set. It seems like your body is taking a little bit longer than normal to acclimate to being on a ship," Dr. Sartoni added. 

"Right…" 

"Something wrong?" the doctor asked her. 

"Oh, no," Lyra said. "Just a lot on my mind, I guess." 

She heard Dr. Sartoni sigh and pulled up a stool to sit next to Lyra on the medical bed. "Putting my profession aside for a moment," she started. Lyra couldn't help but remember what Hux had said about her when he mentioned her in their conversation. "I don't plan to know what exactly is going on between you and General Hux, but I just want you to know that we do offer services for preventative measures when it comes to more, let's say, intimate encounters," she said. 

Oh.

_Oh!_

"Oh, my stars...oh stars," Lyra stuttered out, "No, no, no, no, no! He would never, I mean, I would never. I mean _that_ that is just ridiculous!" 

Dr. Sartoni put her hands up calmly. "No judgment here," she told her. "I just wanted to let you know. Encase anything does change in the future." 

Lyra sighed softly to herself. 

"There isn't much I can do to help," Dr. Sartoni said to her. "But, I can try and do my best in the areas that I can."

She thought about it for a moment. It never really came up in her life if she wanted children or not. She was still so young. "Um," she started. "If I did want to be on the safe side of things, what exactly do I have to do?"

Lyra certainly didn't think she'd have sex anytime soon, at least not while she was stuck as Hux's prisoner. ' _He may be attractive, but that doesn't mean anything. Attractive people can be assholes too...not that I find him attractive!'_ she thought. Lyra just blamed it on the fever. ' _Maybe that's why I let him kiss me; I wasn't thinking straight.'_

Lyra was brought back from her thoughts as Dr. Sartoni explained to her what she could do. She told her that taking a pill was pretty common, but most personnel on the ship that used a form of birth control preferred an injection. "It takes forty-eight hours to start working, and you only need to get a booster every six months to keep it from wearing off," she said. 

"I think...I think I might do that," Lyra told her. "Just to be safe." 

Dr. Sartoni nodded her head and started to prep her things. It only took a few moments, and soon enough, Dr. Sartoni was poking Lyra's arm was a syringe. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt as much as she thought it would, considering how long the needle looked. Dr. Sartoni placed a small bandage over the puncture spot and told her she was all set. "I'll message Officer Brekker that you're all set here and can go back to your room," she told her. 

"That sounds good. I could use a good rest," Lyra said as the two of them waited. 

When the door opened, both of them turned and looked, expecting Officer Brekker to be standing there. The young officer was there; however, he was trembling behind the figure that was practically eclipsing him. Kylo Ren. Dr. Sartoni nearly jumped out of her chair and stood at attention when she realized who was standing in the doorway. Lyra stood up as well, not knowing entirely what she should do in this position. Did she salute him as well? Or did she just stay quiet? "Commander Ren, what can I do for you?" Dr. Sartoni said, professional as ever. 

Lyra watched his helmet move across the room, stopping in the doctor's general direction and then moving once again to land on her. The masked freaked her out. She couldn't tell exactly what he was staring at, and yet she felt the heavy weight of his gaze all the same. "I've come for the girl," he said, the vocoder booming off of the walls of the small room. 

At that moment, Lyra and Dr. Sartoni turned to face each other, each just as confused. "Sorry, Commander, I was informed that Officer Brekker would be escorting Princess Lyrella back to her room after her tests," Dr. Sartoni told him. 

The Commander turned around to glance at the trembling officer behind him with little regard before turning back to look at Lyra. "There has been a change of plans," he said, a matter of factly. 

"Oh," Dr. Sartoni said, "I see." 

Lyra looked between the doctor and the menacing man before her. _'This is the last thing I need right now! First Hux, being sick, and now having a monster around me,'_ she thought. Lyra was brought back from her thoughts when she heard the squelching of leather and noticed that the Commander's hands had formed into fists. ' _Shit.'_

"Follow me," he said and turned around. 

Lyra looked over at Dr. Sartoni one last time, seeing her sympathetic look across her face, before going and following the Commander. They passed Officer Brekker, who stood at attention as they walked past. She could see the fearful look in his eyes as they walked away. Lyra was careful to keep a bit of distance between the two of them, letting the much taller man lead the way by a good few feet. 

When they left the medical bay and entered the hallway, Lyra wrapped her arms around herself. It was freezing. Apparently, nothing seemed to faze the Commander since he kept on moving down the hallway. She did, however, thank the stars that it was so late into the night that not a single person seemed to be out and about in the halls. 

They walked in silence for some time—the occasional chill running down her back. ' _Maybe I should talk to Brekker and see if I can get some better clothes. Or at least warmer ones,'_ she thought to herself. ' _Hmm, he'll probably just ignore me or say that I'm not deserving of it. It'll probably just be a waste of time. If only I could get my hands on some actual fabric to make clothing with, then maybe I wouldn't be walking around looking like a sack of vegetables.'_ Her hand absentmindedly tugged at the loose fabric around her midsection as she thought about making her clothing again. 

_'If I had something to make, then I wouldn't be as bored just sitting in a room all day doing nothing,'_ she huffed, following closely behind as they turned a corner. Lyra looked ahead and down the hall and then turned to look behind her, the halls looking precisely the same. She turned to stare at the Commander's back. ' _How does everyone know where they're going when everything looks the same around here?'_

They turned another corner. 

As they walked, Lyra studied the back of the man in front of her. ' _He looks taller than General Hux, or maybe that's because of the helmet?'_ she thought. Thinking about him sent a different shiver down her spine. ' _Stars, what is going on with me? I shouldn't have let him rile me up like that.'_

They took another turn down a different corridor. 

Lyra brought one of her hands to cup her flushed cheek gently as she thought. 'He's _just playing games with me because he can. That's all this is. He said it before; I'm just a pawn.'_ Her mind was wrapped around trying to figure Hux out that she hadn't noticed that the two of them had been walking for some time. ' _Maybe if I don't play into his games and just lay low, he'll just ignore me, and then once everything is done and over with, I can just go home and never have to see him again.'_

Kylo took her down another series of hallways.

 _'He certainly didn't have to kiss me like… well, like that,'_ she thought to herself. ' _Why did he kiss me at all?'_ The image of him so close to her slowly crept towards the front of her thoughts. His eyes staring down at her and the way he had embraced her. She wanted to hate it. She should hate it. But no one has ever touched her like that before. 'I'm _not thinking straight; it's just the fever,'_ she tried to reason with herself. 

It wasn't until she nearly bumped into the back of Kylo Ren that she realized he had stopped. She took a step back to give him some space and looked around the hall. Lyra realized they were standing by a door but noticed that it didn't have a keypad on the wall next to it. "This isn't my room," she told him softly. 

In a flash, he grabbed her and opened the door. It was shocking for someone his size to move so quickly. He shoved her into the room without a word and closed the door behind them. In her feverish state, her body didn't move quickly enough and tripped over her feet, falling to her hands and knees. She quickly scrambled to get back up and face Kylo Ren who was standing by the room, his arms crossed against his chest. Lyra glanced around the room to see it was a small conference room of sorts. "What's going on?" she asked him, her voice faint. 

There was a long pause between them before Kylo spoke up. "You think too loud," his voice rumbled out. 

"I...oh," Lyra squeaked out. She wondered how much of her thinking he had actually heard. 

"Forget it," he said and started walking closer to her. 

Lyra immediately backed away from him on instinct. She didn't get far and was swiftly backed against a wall. "I need answers from you," he stated. 

"Uh, answers?" 

"There are rumors on Voss that before the Jedi made their temples there, there were Sith occupying the lands," he told her. 

She stared at him for a moment, confused. 

"Is that true?" he pressed on. 

She didn't answer him. Was that why he was at the capital as well? She tried to remember if she did know anything about the earlier history of Voss. Lyra remembered hiding in the older section of the library back home and how she had read some of the more ancient texts that were kept there to pass the time. She racked her brain around to see if she could remember anything. "I-I believe there were some mentions of them, in earlier texts. It was never in great detail," Lyra said, hoping that the answer would appease the man in front of her. 

She felt the faintest of pressure against her forehead from out of nowhere. An image of her when she was younger flashed towards the front of her mind. She was in the restricted section of the library back on Voss, reading from a book almost half her size. Images of the pages flipped through her mind at a rapid place before the pressure was gone. 

Lyra let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in. Her hand went and clutched at her chest to calm her racing heart. 

"You've seen the texts," he said, placing a hand on the wall beside her head. 

She stared up at him with wide eyes, unmoving. 

"And I've seen what he does to you," Kylo added. 

"What?"

"Hux," he stated. 

Lyra felt her blood run cold in her veins. "He's just yanking my chain around," Lyra said, breathlessly. 

"He'll do more than that with someone like you around," he told her. 

"I certainly won't let someone like _him_ do that," she said. 

"And he hasn't been doing that already?" he prodded. 

Lyra pressed her lips together in frustration. 

"Although, you could be a useful distraction," he said, and Lyra watched as his helmet tilted ever so slightly to the side as he looked at her. "Hux likes to get creative when he has a new toy to play with, which means he won't be on my ass about everything." 

"I'm not his toy," Lyra said as evenly as she could.

"He seems to think otherwise, but you're thinking about it, aren't you," he told her. "Thinking about him and what it would be like."

"No. You're wrong." 

"You can't lie to me, girl." 

"I wouldn't be with someone like him," she said to him. "He's… He's-"

"A monster?" 

She stayed quiet. 

"At least I'm a monster you can see. Hux," he said and paused. "He's the kind that likes to play with his food before he devours it. The kind that no one suspects before it's too late," Kylo moved his hand from the wall and slowly placed it around Lyra's neck. 

She let out a faint gasp as she felt each of his fingers curl around her skin. "Why are you telling me this?" she asked.

"The longer you stick around, the longer Hux is off my back. So, let's just say, I don't want you going anywhere any time soon," he informed her. 

"Well, the moment I can get away, I'll take it," Lyra said to him.

"You say that, but you don't mean it," Kylo said, standing up straighter and removing his hand from her neck. "I can see it. Deep down inside that heart of yours, the longing you crave for someone to want you."

"Stop it, please," she said through clenched teeth. 

"You won't get that from a man like Hux," he told her. "He'll take what he wants from you, and when you can't give him what he wants anymore, he'll get rid of you." 

Lyra didn't respond to him. 

"But I guess someone like yourself is used to it by now," he said. 

"Is every man on this ship an asshole?" she asked him.

This got him to laugh softly at her. 

"Maybe I should show exactly what he wants to do to you. Then maybe you'll see," he said and slowly raised his arm to her. 

She closed her eyes, preparing to expect pain when instead, the door to the conference room _wooshed_ open. Her eyes shot open and looked to see a scared Officer Brekker standing by the doorway. She heard him clear his throat, getting Kylo Ren to look over his shoulder and lower his arm back to his side. "C-Commander Ren, General Hux has requested your presence. He said that it's an urgent matter," he told him. 

Lyra looked back at Kylo as he turned to face her again. "Another time then," he said under his breath as he turned around to leave. 

Officer Brekker stepped to the side quickly as Kylo Ren stormed off and down the halls. Once he was gone, Officer Brekker escorted her back to her room. Finally.

* * *

Three days later, and Lyra was feeling much better. Whatever medicine that Dr. Sartoni gave her worked like a charm. During the time that she was resting, she saw a lot more of Officer Brekker, since he was tasked with making sure she was recovering. He even brought her a few meals to make sure she was eating enough. Once while she was resting on the couch, scrolling through her datapad, Brekker came in to give her some soup that the cafe had just made that day. He stayed for a few minutes, just long enough to make sure she ate most of what he had given her. At that time, Lyra thought it might have still been the fever, but she had told Brekker about how she missed sewing and making items of clothing. She also mentioned, offhandedly, that she would like to mend the clothes that were in the drawers so that they fit better.

She hadn't expected Brekker to be listening to what she had said. Now, she had a giant pile of scrap fabrics from the textile department that Brekker had collected and given her. "What's all of this?" she had asked him.

"You said you wanted something to do. I figured if you had some stuff to sew, you wouldn't complain as much," he told her. 

She opened her mouth to say something snarky back, but she didn't want him to think twice and take it all back. "Thank you," she told him. 

She saw him just shrug his shoulders and dumped a small container of pins, needles, and thread on top of the fabric. "Knock yourself out," he told her and left shortly after. 

Within a day or so, she had mended nearly all of the clothing in the drawers of the bedroom so that they fit her pleasantly. She even asked if Brekker had anything he needed fixing or mending. Surprisingly, Brekker gave her two pairs of pants to fix. Lyra had them done within an hour. She had watched him look them over, judging her work. "Alright," he said finally. "I guess you're pretty good at this." 

"Good?" Lyra said and laughed a little. "I'm one of the best seamstresses in like a hundred kilometers," she then paused. "I mean, I was. At least on Voss." 

"That so?" 

"Yeah, everyone in town came to me to fix their clothes. Although I'm really good at making quilts and blankets. From scratch, of course," she said to him. 

"Really?" 

"Yeah, I mean it's a whole process. I don't want to bore you or anything," Lyra told him. "It's probably the one thing that I can do well." 

"I guess you aren't entirely as useless as I thought then," Brekker said.

"Jeez, thanks," Lyra said, rolling her eyes at him. 

"Well, if you can fix my clothing, so I don't have to wait for someone from the textile department to repair it, then I'll get you whatever you need," he offered.

"Do you think you could get me some more thread? I'm running out of it," she asked.

"Now?"

"If possible? I want to make some other articles of clothes that aren't just black and grey, but I need some more thread in order to finish," she explained.

"Yeah sure, whatever," he said as if she had asked him to scour the whole ship to find her something. 

"Thank you, I appreciate it, truly," Lyra called out after him. 

She heard him mumble something under his breath but got up and left in search of the items that she needed. Once the door had closed and locked behind him, Lyra got up from the couch and walked into the bedroom. She went to the dresser and pulled out a nightgown that she had made from some of the fabric that Brekker had given her. From the size of the material, she figured that it was an old black bedsheet of sorts. An expensive one too from what she could tell. It was made of high-quality silk. The bedsheet, when she got it, was already torn in half, so she didn't have much fabric to work with. However, that didn't put her off from trying to craft herself something from such a nice material.

She was so used to working with wool, cotton, and other similar materials. It wasn't often she could have something nice for herself. The only thing that she could think of that she would wear was a nightgown. It was much shorter than the ones she usually wore, which often came down to her ankles. When she changed into it, the material only fell to about her midthighs. She had tailored it nicely to her body and the silk felt amazing against her skin. She wanted to add some sleeves to it since, at the moment, she only had enough fabric to make two small straps. Still, though, it was something nice that she could wear for herself. It wasn't often she had something expensive to wear, even if it was just a nightgown.

* * *

Lyra heard the door open and closed nearly an hour later. She was in the small kitchen area with a pot of water simmering. She wanted to dye some of the white fabric that Brekker had brought her. It was a fantastic find, in her eyes, since most of the fabric was either black or darker shades of grey. Lyra had also been storing some berries that Brekker had given her whenever she said that she was running low of food. They were a deep red berry, and if soaked for long enough, the white fabric should come out the same beautiful hue. She was mixing the mashed up berries into the water, humming to herself. "You can just put the stuff on the table, Brekker. I should be all set now," she called out to him. 

Lyra got the big spoon she was using and dipped it into the pot, stirring the red water around and hummed slowly. She heard Brekker clear his throat and sighed. "Sorry, thank you," she said and placed the spoon back down and wiping her hands with a towel. "I really appreciate everything you're doing to-"

She froze, and it seemed as if the whole room got astonishingly smaller in a single moment. She locked eyes with Hux and felt as if her chest wanted to curl in on itself. 

He blinked and watched his eyes slowly travel up and down her body, drinking her in. Lyra realized what she was wearing and grabbed for the fabric that she was going to dye and wrapped it around her shoulders to cover herself. "What-What are you doing here?" she all but hissed at him.

She could already feel her cheeks flushing hotly. 

"Well, this certainly is a pleasant surprise," he practically purred at her.

"You didn't answer my question," Lyra said.

"I've simply wanted to stop by and see how you were feeling," Hux said. 

"You haven't spoken to me in a few days," she told him. "I didn't think you cared." 

"Sorry, princess," he said in an overly sweet tone. "Didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"I," Lyra huffed and rolled her eyes at him. "Just don't call me princess," she muttered.

"Noted," he said. 

Lyra felt exposed entirely with what she was wearing. She certainly hadn't planned on Hux walking in on her. Lyra tossed the fabric towards him in an attempt to draw his attention away from her, even just for a moment. She walked away from the kitchen and towards the bedroom, wanting to keep some distance between them, and also wanting to cover herself up. Lyra made a b-line to the dresser and opened one of the drawers that was filled with sweaters she had mended and pulled one of them out. 

She didn't have to turn around to know that Hux had followed her, she could feel his gaze up and down her back. She had hoped that he would stay in the living room area. Lyra clutched at the sweater until her knuckles turned white. She spun around, facing him. He had that smug look on his face. She really wanted to wipe it off of him. "What do you want from me?" she asked. 

He didn't say anything at first; instead, he slowly closed the distance between them, barely leaving any room for her to breathe. His hand reached out and took the sweater from her hands. Lyra's hands loosened their hold on the article of clothing and dropped back down to her side. She watched him toss it haphazardly in the direction of the bed, his eyes never leaving her. "Who doesn't want a beautiful woman?" he asked her. 

She opened her mouth to retort, but he held up his hand to silence her. "I know you would say otherwise, however," Hux said, his hand coming out and brushing her hair behind her ear. 

Lyra had to look away from him, unable to meet his intense stare. She felt her heart flutter inside her ribs. "Someone so small and fragile like yourself would have more than a few officers trying to sweep you off your feet."

"I'm not fragile," she hissed at him. "Plus, I don't need anyone sweeping me off of my feet." 

"I'd beg to differ, princess. If others find out I'm keeping such a treasure all to myself, they might get jealous," he told her. 

Lyra wanted to ask why he would care, but he cut her off. 

"And where did you get this? It's certainly not First Order regulated, not saying that I don't mind looking at it," Hux said and tugged one of his gloves off. 

"I made it. I-I told Officer Brekker that I liked sewing, so he gave me some scraps to keep me busy," she told him, giving him a strange look. 

"Getting a little close to him, I see," he said.

He didn't sound too happy about it. "He's not the best company but at least he's someone to talk to," Lyra said. 

"I suppose he's young, and I've heard he is quite the catch among the other women on this ship," he mused. 

"I don't care about that," Lyra told him and watched as he moved closer to her. 

She noticed his amused expression on his face as he reached out towards her. Lyra was confused for a moment. "I certainly can't feel the fabric through my gloves," his voice was softer. 

Lyra went to bat his hand away as he reached for it, but he caught her hand with his other one. She tried backing away but only managed to hit her back against the dresser. She felt his bare hand brush against her thigh, noticing how warm his skin was. The feeling made her jump. Lyra was too nervous to look down as she felt his hand gently examine the fabric, rolling it between his fingers. "The color suits you," he finally said but didn't move his hand away.

Lyra didn't respond to him, unsure of what to say to that. "Or maybe," he added. "I should get you something nicer to wear around your room while you wait around. Something _tasteful,"_

"You're not playing fair," she said to him.

"You should know that I don't play by now, princess," Hux said.

"And you should know that I don't like being called princess," Lyra retorted.

"Then what would you like it to be called then, hm?" Hux questioned, his hand moving to cup her face gently and then slowly trail the tips of his fingers down to her neck, pausing. 

She opened her mouth to speak but stopped. The bare touch of his skin on her lit up her skin with tiny sparks of warmth. He pressed his thumb against the column of her throat, making her close her mouth and swallow hard. 

"Good girl," he whispered.

"That-That's highly inappropriate of you," Lyra said, her voice trembling.

"Oh, but I think you like it," he said to her, his hand coming to wrap itself almost entirely around her throat.

She didn't respond, unsure if she could speak. 

"Deep down, you want to be a good girl, someone's good girl," he teased. 

Lyra closed her eyes and shook her head back and forth as best she could, fearing that she'd start to cry if she stared up at him any longer. "Look at me," he said to her.

She could feel his breath against her skin, making the hairs across it stand up. Lyra opened her eyes but refused to move to look at him, instead, trying to focus on the opened doorway that she could see right above his shoulder. Suddenly, she felt his hand move up her neck slightly, resting just under her jaw and moved her head, giving her no choice but to look at him. She let out a shaky breath of air as she felt tears threaten to spill down her cheeks. 

"It seems like you don't fully understand that I own you, yet," Hux said. 

"Maybe, but only for a year. As you said, once this whole deal is over with, I'll hop on the first ship out of here to go back home," Lyra said, and as the words left her mouth, she couldn't help but think of the conversation that she had with Kylo Ren. ' _No, he was probably just messing with my mind. Maybe Hux put him up to that,'_ she thought.

"Yes, right back into the arms of the people who have shown that they adore you," he said sarcastically. 

Lyra didn't want those words to hurt, but they did. They were true, after all. There was no one left on Voss that wanted her. Even if Hux said that the government wanted to put her on the throne, what good would it be? What good would it be to go back there if there was no one that cared about her? But she had nowhere else to go.

"You want someone you won't lie to you. I'm the only one who hasn't. I have only told you the truth," Hux pointed out.

"No, that's…" Lyra said quickly but stopped herself.

She honestly couldn't think of a time where he has lied to her. Stars, he's the only one that's truthful about what was going on with her father. She hated it. She hated this. She hated that he was right. She hated him. 

And yet it felt as if her body wanted to act separately from her mind. 

The way his hands were on her made her body shiver, but she knew exactly what he was capable of doing with those same hands. Her mind wanted to scream at her to wake up from her stupor, don't fall for those eyes, he's evil, he's dangerous…

Lyra raised one of her hands. 

Her fingers shook as she reached out towards him and felt a tear slide down her cheek. Lyra's fingers found their way to the side of his face, the tips of her fingers carding through his ginger hair. She felt his hand leave her throat and, instead, brought it around the back of her head and threaded his fingers through her hair. Lyra closed her eyes as her lips sought out his. She felt a type of hunger she had never experienced before. 

Before she knew it, she felt his hands on her waist, pulling her as close as their bodies would allow. Lyra's hand that wasn't tangled in his locks of hair was clutching at his chest, trying to stable herself. She found herself whimpering slightly in between breaths of air as they kissed. Soon enough, Lyra felt his hands reach lower, and suddenly he was lifting her off of the ground. She let out a gasp as he tossed her on to the bed, her nightgown riding up her pale thighs.

"Now that's a lovely sight, _princess,"_ he said, his voice low and dangerous. 

Lyra propped herself up on her elbows to look up at him, standing by the bed. She was already breathing heavily, but the look in his eyes was intoxicating, and she desperately wanted more. In a heartbeat, he was looming over her, pressing her back against the bed. He leaned in as one of his hands slipped one of her straps off of her shoulder. "I'm going to show you that you're mine," he said hotly against her ear.

It sent bolts of lightning through her body, making her shiver below him. She felt his teeth against her neck. Lyra let out a silent gasp and clutched onto him as if he was the only thing in the universe to keep her anchored to the bed. He pushed her nightgown up around her stomach, feeling the cold air tickle her heated skin. His hands explored her flesh as his mouth marked up her skin. Lyra's lower back curled slightly off of the bed as Hux bit down hard on the spot between her neck and shoulder. 

Lyra felt one of his hands snake up under her nightgown, his hand cupping her breast. She let out a pitched whine as he started to toy with her hardening nipple. It was getting hard to focus with everything that he was doing to her body. As his mouth explored lower, his lips and tongue kissing and turning her skin red, her hands quickly grabbed his face, making him stop. It was enough for him to do so and look up at her. She was freely crying, with tears slowly trailing down her cheeks. 

"Please," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Please just...just don't lie to me," she begged him. 

"I-I don't think that I can-" she stopped as she felt him wipe a tear from her cheek. 

"Hush," Hux cooed at her, getting her to calm down a little bit. "I promise princess,"

"Don't call me princess," she said.

"Then what would you like me to call you?"

"J-Just Lyra," she told him.

"Lyra," he said, her name rolling off of his tongue as he stared at her. "I want you to be a good girl and lay down on the bed." 

She did so, sniffling away the last bit of tears that filled her round eyes. She still tried to look at him as he stood up straight, taking in the sight before him. "I'm going to make you feel really good, okay?" he said.

She nodded her head, her hands nervously clutching the sheets. Lyra thought back to all the books she had read about sex, how they said it would hurt the first time, but it felt good. 

In a flash, he yanked her underwear completely off, making her gasp and instinctively close her legs.

"Ah, ah," he said as he let her underwear fall to the floor, "spread those legs open for me, darling. I want to see all of you." 

A muscle in her inner thigh twitched as she slowly, cautiously spread her legs for him. She felt a wave of shame wash through her. No one had ever seen her like this before; it made her stomach turn in a new way. 

"My, my," he said, getting Lyra to look at him.

The look in his eyes was almost scary, and he was smiling down at her as if she had laid out a feast just for him. Lyra had to look away from him. She thought she saw him lick his lips. She waited to hear the sound of his pants coming undone and felt her body tense with anticipation. Lyra felt his hands on her inner thighs, slowly kneading her skin. His fingers crept closer to her core and stopped just shy of the junction of her hips. She felt his hot breath against her skin and was confused for a moment. Lyra let out a choked gasp as she felt Hux's tongue against her, causing her to sit back up. "Trust me, lay back down," he told her from where he was crouched down, and she did so. 

Before she knew it, she was clutching the bedsheets against as his mouth devoured her cunt. His hands massaged her as his lips and tongue teased the most sensitive parts of her. Every so often, she felt the slight scrape of his teeth along her clit and felt herself buck into him. When his tongue finally entered her, she cried out softly and felt her muscles contract desperately around him. "You're so wet already," he hummed against her, his hands moving her legs so that they rested on his shoulders. 

One of his hands grabbed her thigh as the other teased her clit, his tongue delving back into her. He kissed her lips and flicked his tongue, causing her to let out a dangerously loud moan. 

"H-Hux," she said breathlessly.

Lyra had masturbated before and felt the familiar coil between her pelvis, but this time it felt different. He continued to devour her, barely letting up. She felt herself getting wetter with each pass of his tongue against her heated flesh. 

"Wait, wait," she moaned, "I'm going to-" Lyra gasped and clenched her teeth together as she felt her body convulse with pleasure, unable to hold herself back any longer. 

And yet, Hux still kept going until she was entirely spent. Her body felt limp against the bedsheets, and her sight was glazed over from the aftershocks of her high. She vaguely registered that Hux had stood up and slowly tried to do the same, only getting herself up on her elbows. Hux bent over and captured her lips with his, tasting herself on him. "I want you to scream my name the next time I make you cum, do you understand?" he said to her. 

Lyra nodded her head, lazily. 

"I didn't hear you," Hux said.

"Y-Yes, I understand," Lyra said, her voice trembling. 

"Good girl," he said, patting her cheek and stood back up.

Lyra watched as he pulled his gloves back on and smoothed out his hair. This time, she did see him lick his lips as he adjusted his uniform. "Tomorrow, I'll be receiving an updated report from Voss. I'll have Officer Brekker send for you when I've gone over the reports," he told her. 

She nodded her head again, unsure of what to say to that and still feeling relaxed and sedated from her orgasm. 

Pleased with her response, he turned around and left her there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I've recently made a Tumblr so if you'd like to follow me its: ultra-fantasy-hoe. I probably won't be able to get the next chapter out for a bit because of classes! Once again, thank you so much to everyone!!


	13. Lower your Mask

The person staring back at her in the mirror didn’t look like her.

After Hux had left her on the bed, dazed and trembling, she had somehow managed to get herself into the refresher before Officer Brekker came back from retrieving the items she had requested. He had questioned why she was in there and simply told him that she wasn’t feeling well and to leave the items on the coffee table in the living room. He did so, calling out to her that he would be leaving to go to a meeting and would be back later. When she heard the front door close, she let out a huge sigh. Lyra looked at herself in the mirror above the sink. The nightgown was wrinkled and her hair was a bit messy. Her eyes were slightly red around the rim but she didn’t care about that, instead, her eyes roamed the skin of her exposed chest and shoulders. 

Her nimble fingers reached out to caress the delicate and bruised flesh of her neck and shoulders. She would have never thought her skin could bloom into so many different hues of red and purple. The skin was sore as she pressed the pads of her fingers near her collar bones. Although it ached, it also sent a spark of that strange and foreign heat down her spine. Some spots were already starting to grow darker. Having stared at herself long enough she brought her body down to sit on the edge of the toilet to give her unsteady legs a break.

Lyra’s mind replayed what had just transpired between her and General Hux. None of her books ever talked about _that_. True to his word though, he had made her feel good. As she thought about it more, he hadn’t been rough with her, or at least not as rough as he normally treated her. It was strange and Lyra noted that he had immediately left afterward. She sat there for some time, racking her brain around, trying to remember the stories she had read. Most of them had been romance books and anything that Anya had explained to her. Lyra pressed her legs together. They felt numb but not sore as so many of the stories she had read described. All about how it would hurt. _‘I guess it’s because we didn’t go all the way,’_ she thought to herself. She mused on the topic as she decided that she really needed a shower. 

_‘Maybe I should be glad that he didn’t go all the way,’_ she stood up gingerly and turned on the shower. _‘Not that I really wanted to or anything…’_ Lyra sighed to herself. 

“The man is a ball of contradictions, honestly,” she said out loud as she tested the temperature of the water. 

Lyra gazed at her outstretched hand as the water washed over it. Some of the warm water pooling in the palm of her hand. The question of if she truly feared him popped into her head. _‘He’s an awful man, Dr. Sartoni and even Kylo fucking Ren have said so, more or less,’_ she withdrew her hand and pulled off her nightgown. _‘It’s stupid of me to even think that he’d want something so intimate with someone or anyone for that matter, let alone some stupid nobody he’s keeping as a prisoner._ ’ Lyra looked at her nightgown, now crumpled up in one of her hands. 

_‘I could’ve stopped him, even after all of those nasty, horrible things that he’s said and yet...oh stars,’_ she thought. 

“Fuck,” she whispered to herself as she dropped the nightgown, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth.

She didn’t want to admit it to herself, there had to be another explanation. _‘This just has to be another part of his stupid little game. Being flirtatious one moment and cruel a moment later. Yeah, that’s it. He’s just toying with me. Why in the universe would someone like General Fucking Hux want anything to do with me?’_

Lyra took in a deep breath and got into the shower, exhaling as the warm water washed over her body. Her hands slowly trailed up her body, stopping at her neck. Again, the tips of her fingers sot out her bruised flesh, gently pressing against it. The dull ache went deeper than just her skin. The muscles in her neck echoing the soreness as her fingers slowly withdrew themselves. _‘He should scare me,’_ she thought. To a degree, Lyra was indeed, scared of Hux. 

But now? 

She was slightly more terrified by the fact that her sense of fear towards Hux had dwindled. Almost snuffed out. Replaced by the image of his head between her thighs, the feeling of his skillful tongue teasing her most sensitive area, and that gleaming look in his eyes that made her heart race. 

Tears formed at the corners of her eyes and blinked slowly, letting them fall, mixing with the hot water. This was messed up. She was messed up. 

Lyra had never truly loved someone before, not like this. Could something like this even be called love? She had read so much about how love was supposed to be like. The shared laughter, sweet little kisses, the loving touches, and the whispering of sweet words between bated breath. Love doesn’t make you choose between imprisonment and death or call you worthless, or hurt you. 

_‘Then again, maybe I just think everything will end up like a fairytale.’_

She stayed under the hot water for far longer than she had meant to. Fingers pruning and the air in the refresher was becoming a little too humid for her. Turning the water off and getting out of the shower she quickly wrapped her body in one of the white towels and moved towards the sink. She wiped away the condensation on the mirror just above the sink so that she could inspect the current state of her neck and shoulders. Lyra would have to find something to cover them tomorrow. She certainly didn’t want to raise any questions out of anyone. Not that the questions would bother her, more simply because she really didn’t know what to say. 

Lyra had no idea what Hux was thinking most of the time. How could she? He was skilled at hiding behind a mask, much unlike her. _‘How does that old saying go? Opposites attract each other,’_ she thought to herself and gave a half-hearted laugh. 

She took out her brush and started brushing out her long, wet hair and wandered back into the bedroom. Lyra stared at the bed for a moment before heading over to the dresser and getting changed into something comfortable to sleep in. She avoided the bed for a while until her body begged her to rest and even then she had considered sleeping on the couch. However, whatever Hux had in store for her tomorrow at this meeting, she wanted to be ready for it. That meant getting at least enough sleep. Lyra curled up under the covers as she felt her eyes growing heavy. As her body relaxed against the bed, one of her hands wandered up to her neck, once again feeling the sore skin. In the back of her mind, she wondered. How would it feel to sleep with Hux? Would he sleep beside her, wrapped up in his arms, or would he keep his distance from her? _‘Would he have stayed if I had asked him to?’_ was the last thing she thought before falling asleep.

* * *

The time for her meeting came all too quickly for her liking. As promised, Officer Brekker came to her room and escorted her the short distance from her front door to the General’s quarters. She had made sure to find a sweater that covered her shoulders and neck completely. It was a little uncomfortable to wear, but she would rather give up a bit of comfort in favor of avoiding curious stares. The whole time she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt and stared down at her feet. She was frustrated, especially at General Hux, but she was also still so nervous. Ever since she had woken up today, she couldn’t get him out of her head. Lyra was slightly worried about what the report would say, imagining awful scenarios after awful scenarios in her head. 

“Would you stop moving around? Honestly, you’re so-”

“Not now Brekker,” Lyra snapped at him, but she still had her head down, missing the shocked expression on the officer’s face. “If you  _ honestly _ can’t bear to stand a few moments of my fidgeting then, by all means, you can tell General Hux that you can no longer handle the task he has so graciously bestowed upon you. I’m sure he can find a different job for you.” 

“Oh…” she heard him say softly, “uh, sorry,” he muttered. 

Lyra sighed heavily. At least he didn’t make her wear those ill-fitted handcuffs. She hadn’t meant for Brekker to be at the other end of her outburst of frustration. She felt bad but she didn’t say anything. The two of them waited in silence together until she could hear the muffled footsteps from behind the door that they stood in front of. There was a slight pause in the footfalls and it made Lyra breathe catch in her throat just before the door opened. 

General Hux stood there in his pristine uniform as normal. Ginger hair slicked back, his posture straight, and hands folded behind his back. 

Lyra immediately looked towards his hair, remembering how soft it was when she had brushed her fingers through it. It was surprising. It had also felt nice. 

She realized her staring had become too obvious when she heard General Hux clear his throat and dismissed Officer Brekker. Her eyes looked to Brekker’s as he also looked over at her. 

“Right, sir,” he said, saluting the General before brisking making his way back down the hall.

Lyra looked over her shoulder, watching him go. She’d have to apologize to him later. 

She looked back at Hux as he stepped to the side to let her enter his quarters. She felt a shiver run down her spine as the memory of what had happened last time jumped to the front of her mind but nonetheless, she entered. 

Instead of staying in the big open space of the living room, Hux motioned for her to follow him down a hallway that went past the kitchen that she hadn’t noticed the last time she was here. Not like she had the time to look around that much. Hux lead her to a door which he punched a code into the keypad before allowing her to enter. When she stepped past the threshold her eyes immediately landed on the giant desk, sitting opposite of the door.  _ ‘Private office I guess, although it shouldn’t be surprising,’ _ she thought to herself as she noticed Hux taking a seat behind the desk. There was a rather plush looking couch that sat facing the desk but Lyra didn’t sit down. Instead, she looked around the room as she wrung her hands in front of her out of nerves. She wanted to say a lot to him and maybe even yell at him but she had no clue where to start. 

“It looks like you want to ask me a question,” Hux said.

“Possibly,” Lyra spoke, shifting in her spot in front of his desk.

She noticed him simply staring at her, waiting for her to continue. Oh stars, she hated how she was growing less and less fearful of his gaze, instead, wanting his eyes to linger on her.  _ ‘No time like the present I suppose…’ _

“What exactly...what exactly was that last night?” she asked him. 

Lyra could see the corners of his lips threatening to twitch up into a small smirk. “I did a lot of things last night, dear. You’ll have to be more specific.” 

_ ‘This bastard,’ _ she thought bitterly. “You know exactly what I’m talking about,” she told him through clenched teeth. 

“Ah,” he mused, his lips curling slightly as he spoke, giving way to that smudge expression across his face, “were you thinking of my compliant of your skill manship in making such lovely nightwear, or do you want to talk about how I made you cum on my tongue?”

Lyra inhaled sharply and felt her cheeks flush hotly.  _ ‘Mentioning it so casually like that…’  _

His eyes were absolutely gleaming at her now, studying her. “You came undone rather quickly, though I can’t say I’m disappointed in that,” he said as he slowly unlaced his fingers and picked up a document on his desk, “I do suppose that’s to be expected with someone like yourself. Inexperienced and all,” he said, his voice trailing off as he tilted his head to the side slightly. 

His gaze focused on her covered neck. “If you’d like, I’d be more than willing to give you another demonstration,” Hux said, his voice husky and low. 

“I-No!” Lyra stuttered out. “I’m just, I’m asking why. Why would you do  _ that _ with...with me?”

“I see potential in you,” he told her.

“Potential?”

He hummed under his breath as he shuffled some of the papers around on his desk into a neat pile. 

“Well, you certainly have an odd way of expressing your interest,” Lyra said, crossing her arms. 

“Is it considered odd on Voss to ravish a beautiful woman they’re interested in?” he asked.

“ _ Normally _ , people would send flowers or talk to, wait-beautiful?” Lyra stopped herself.

She heard him sigh and looked at him as he leaned back in his chair, looking strangely comfortable. “You’re criminally naive, princess,” he told her, lacing his gloved hands together and resting them on his lap. “However, I have plans to change that.” 

Lyra narrowed her eyes at him, cautiously looking at him up and down. Hux stared right back at her. “Ah, good,” he said, “you should always be suspicious when someone offers to help you. Even those who are in alliance with you, you should always act as if everyone is planning for your downfall.” 

“That seems pretty paranoid,” Lyra questioned. 

“To some, but others learn to adapt to their positions. Eventually, it becomes second nature,” he explained. 

Lyra watched as Hux stood up from his seat and immediately felt her body tense up with anticipation. He grabbed a datapad that was set off to the side of his desk and walked around to the front of it.

* * *

Hux leaned slightly back against his desk as he held out the datapad for Lyra to take. On it was the status report from one of the representatives of Voss’s government. One of the files on the datapad mapped out the agreement between the two, detailing that there would be a monthly report in order to make sure that the materials being collected would be on schedule. Although Hux wouldn’t have minded all too much if Voss came up short, it would give him the excuse he needed to ravish the woman in front of him again under the guise of punishment. 

He watched her now. Standing before him dressed in such modest clothing, it made his mind wander as to the other things that he would love to see her in. That line of thinking had to be put to the side, at least for now. There was still work to be done. 

Hux straightened out his back as he moved away from his desk. He noticed the studious look on Lyra’s face as she read over the documents. As he leisurely made his way over to her, he noticed how her eyes fluttered towards him but never raised high enough to meet his gaze. She was so conscious of his presence near her.  _ ‘You make this too easy, princess,’ _ he thought to himself as he invaded her personal space. Hux was almost surprised that she didn’t immediately back away from him as she had so many times before. However, he took notice of the trembling grip she had on his datapad as her eyes moved from one page to another. 

He didn’t say a word as he reached out and brushed a strand of white-blonde hair behind her ear. Her eyes stayed focus on the screen. “I would think that this would be a cause of celebration for you,” he said finally.

She finally looked up at him and he could see every little flick of emotions dancing across her soft, round features. Staring down at her doe-eyes he couldn’t help but picture them swelling up in tears again. “Why would I celebrate this?” she asked him, lowering the datapad slightly.

Hux took the device from her hands and walked back over to his desk to place it on top of it, before turning around to face her once again. “For the first month, Voss was able to meet the requirements despite having lost so many trading partners over the years your lovely step-mother has been in charge,” he told her. “To be honest, I didn’t think they would be able to make the cut, everything considered,” he added. 

“I guess you just have to have a little hope,” she muttered. 

Hux wanted to laugh at that. “You could, and you can hope that next month they’ll be able to meet the requirements again. If not, there will be consequences,” he informed her. 

“What consequences?”

At that, Hux couldn’t help himself but smile slightly. “Were’s the fun in telling you that?” Hux said, walking back over to her. “Think of it as a fun surprise,” he mused.

“I think we have a different definition of what fun is,” she told him, crossing her arms in front of her. 

“Oh, I beg to differ on that front,” he said, watching as her face morphed into a curiously confused expression. 

“I don’t follow?” 

“Let me ask you this then,” he said, taking her chin in his hands and gently lifting it upwards to look down at her face. Hux admitted to himself that he did find it nice that her face fit so well into his hand, or it around her throat. He held her gaze for a moment, briefly lowering it to look at her plush lips. “Did you enjoy what I did to you last night?” 

He watched her hesitate with her answer. The way he felt her breath hitch inside her throat at the memory sent a small bolt of excitement through him. Hux savored the feeling, waiting for her to answer. 

“Possibly,” she said, lips trembling, “I-I’m not sure...it’s just...this is all…”

“New?”

“Yes,” she told him.

Hux hummed softly as he embraced her. “Then there are many things that I can show you, that I’m sure you’ll come to love,” he said

“N-No that’s, that’s not the point!” 

He felt her push against his chest and took a few steps away from him. Hux watched as one of her hands reached for her stomach, while the other one tangled itself in her hair. “I know I’m not stupid. I’m not,” she said, her voice dancing in the air with a hint of breathlessness.

“I’m not, despite what you might think of me and my upbringing,” she continued, and Hux let her. 

“I know this isn’t like some fairytale in a book or anything. I knew in the back of my mind that I would never have a happy life, o-or fancy things to call my own, or have some knight in shining armor come and save me and just love me for me,” Hux heard her voice break and crumble as she spoke, seeing the shine of tears forming in her eyes.

“I know you just want to use me for your gain and that once I’m gone, you probably won’t give me a second thought and I’ll just be another puppet for someone else to toy with. And I hate it,” she said as tears finally fell from her beautiful eyes. “I hate that you’ve been right about  _ everything _ .”

Her words gave him pause as he watched her move her hands to wrap around herself. “I’ve tried thinking of every which way I could get out or who I could turn to...but you’re right.  _ I have no one. _ ”

Hux moved closer to her, not that she could probably tell with all of the tears in her eyes. 

“Every time I try and think of a way out I just keep thinking of you. It’s all just _ you! _ ” she said, raising her voice in frustration. 

“I promised you, haven’t I?” he said, getting her attention.  _ ‘It really should be criminal to look so divine while crying,’ _ he thought briefly. “That I wouldn’t lie to you.”

She nodded her head at him, wiping her tears away as new ones slid down her cheeks. 

“So if I told you that you were safe here, then there would be no reason to question it,” he said, cupping one of her cheeks in his hand and using his thumb to gently brush away her tears while his other hand snaked around her waist, pulling her close.

“If you’ll let me,” he said slowly, moving his hand slightly higher against her cheek to gently caress her, “I’ll make you feel good in ways you never could imagine.” 

He watched her closely as she blinked up at him, feeling her breath stuttering. Hux stayed silent for a moment as he viewed the ever-shifting emotions across her lovely face. Fear, despair, fatigue, and panic. But eventually, he saw the exact expression he wanted to see. 

_ Acceptance. _

He felt her body ease into his hold, her eyes closing and leaning her head slightly into his touch as he continued to soothe her flushed cheeks with his hand. Hux was gentle in his movements, not wanting to disrupt the peace that had delicately blanketed them. She stayed in his arm for some time, Hux moving his hand to the back of her head, letting Lyra rest the side of her face against his shoulder. Like this Hux drank in the softness of her body.  _ ‘So fragile,’ _ he thought to himself.  _ ‘You have no idea how easily I could break you...but I would put you back together again.’  _

Hux felt her sigh against him.

“What if I’m not the person you think I am?” she asked him, pulling her head back to look up at him. “What if I can’t be the person you want me to be?”

Hux ran his fingers through her hair for a moment before answering her. “If I had any doubts, then you wouldn’t be standing here,” he said, “next to me. By my side, I can teach you how to be strong. I can teach you how to be the person you’ve always wanted to be.”

“But-”

“Some of my methods may seem cruel, but I assure you that if you trust me, you’ll never fear anyone again.” 

“That...That’s a big promise,” she said to him.

“I’m fully aware of that, my dear,” he told her. “I’m also aware that I might be asking a lot from you, in trusting me.”

She nodded her head.

“But my intentions are not to harm you but to make you grow,” he said. 

He placed both of his hands against her flushed cheeks and slowly brought his lips to graze hers. Hux felt Lyra’s own hands cover his and pulled back from her enough to gaze into her stunning brown eyes. 

“From now on, you are to address me as sir or General Hux when others are present. I will also address you with your rightful title when we are in the company of others. I know you aren’t fond of it but I assure you, it’ll grow on you.” Hux whispered to her. 

“And when we’re alone?” Lyra questioned.

Hux unabashedly smiled at her, loving the expression that flickered across her face as he did so. “There are many things that I could call you when we’re alone, darling,” he purred and kissed her lips sweetly. 

“And if I’m not wrong,” he said, stealing another chaste kiss from her, “which I rarely ever am,” another kiss, this time longer, “I have the feeling that you’ve entertained the idea of calling me something else other than general.”

The blush on her cheeks was the only answer he needed. 

“Now that I have you here,” Hux started, tugging at the hem of Lyra’s sweater, “I believe that-”

Hux was interrupted by the loud slam of the front door opening. 

More precisely, his front door being _ forced  _ opened. 

The loud noise startled Lyra in his arms and felt her pull away from him and he let her, much to his dismay. However, the loss of her touch was replaced with annoyance as he glared at the figure entering his quarters. 

“Impeccable timing as always, Ren,” Hux practically growled at the man. 

He glanced over at Lyra who kept her distance between both men. 

“I apologize if I was interrupting your playtime,” Kylo hummed. 

“It wasn’t like-”  Lyra tried speaking but Hux held his hand up, quieting her.

“This better be good Ren,” Hux snapped. 

“It involves your little project you have going on,” Kylo said to him. 

Hux clenched his jaw for a moment and before sighing. 

“Then let’s make this quick,” he started, “Lyra, if you don’t mind, there’s a guest room down the hall. Wait there while the two of us have a chat.”

“I don’t see the need General,” Kylo said and Hux watched as the taller man reached for his helmet, unlatching it and hearing the mechanism hiss. 

“You intend to keep this toy around for a while,” Kylo said as he removed his helmet and cradling it against his side as his other hand went to push back his long, dark hair. “Train and teacher her and all that, right?”

Hux glanced over at Lyra, who was looking like she was about to faint. 

“Let’s make this her first lesson.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello peeps! Sorry, this took forever and a day to get out, I was overwhelmed by classes! If you want you can follow me on Tumblr at: ultra-fantasy-hoe 
> 
> I appreciate all the feedback I get! (and sorry if this chapter seemed a little rushed but I really wanted to get this chapter out!) Please let me know what you think!


	14. Tender Hands

Lyra didn’t know what she should feel at the moment. 

Surprised? Shocked?

Maybe even intrigued? 

Regardless, she was standing in a room with arguably two of the most dangerous men in the known galaxy, that alone would be enough to get anyone’s heart racing. And one of them has already seen her in a state of undress. Lyra couldn’t help but admit to herself that the man under the mask that was Kylo Ren came as a shock to her. She defiantly hadn’t expected someone so young.

Or so handsome. 

A part of her had believed that he would look every part of a monster that nearly the whole galaxy talked about. Lyra must have been staring for too long because she noticed Kylo pause mid-sentence and turn to look at her. Her graze immediately dropping to the floor. 

“The Supreme Leader has agreed to let your toy run about this ship for the time being,” Kylo said slowly. “So long as you keep her on a tight leash.” 

Hearing his voice for the first time unobstructed by the mask was also strange. 

She dared to glance upwards at the force user but noticed that his attention was directed back towards General Hux. Lyra looked at him as well. It was hard to believe that a few moments ago, she was wrapped up in his arms, kissing him and letting him lull her panicked mind into such a calming headspace. Now, he stood pin-straight, looking regal as he regarded the Commander. “I assure you, Supreme Leader Snoke has nothing to worry about. As you know, I take good care of my possessions,” Hux said to him. 

Lyra tried to catch his gaze but he seemed to be too focused on the other man in the room. Which was slowly filling up with tension. It made her a little hot under the collar and she was slowly coming to regret wearing such a heavy sweater, even though the whole ship always seemed to be freezing. 

“Even so, Snoke has asked me to make sure that she’s not _entertaining_ a few ideas,” Kylo spoke as he stared at her, openly trailing his eyes over her body. 

“I’ve made sure of that before taking her Ren, as you’re well aware-”

“Challenging an order from the Supreme Leader, are we?” Kylo interjected. 

Lyra looked back and forth between the two men as they talked as if she wasn’t even in the room. She could see Hux’s eye narrowing at Kylo and looked as if he was thinking of a few choice words to tell the man. Instead, he wordlessly walked over to Lyra, everything about his presence professional. She sucked in a quick breath of air when he finally stopped in front of her, blocking her view of Kylo Ren. 

Her attention was completely on Hux though. She was nervous, unsure of what to anticipate. “I only give my attention to things that deserve it,” he said. “I wouldn’t jeopardize the work that we are doing if I had any suspensions, Commander.”

Lyra knew that those words were meant for Kylo but she stared up at him, listening nonetheless. She stood still as Hux brought his hands from behind his back and swiftly tugged off one of his pristine leather gloves. Her eyes fluttered from his hand to his face, wondering what exactly he was planning. For a moment, she thought he might hit her, or do some sort of display of dominance and power over her. The two men were obviously in some sort of unspoken battle whenever the other one was near and Lyra was starting to become aware that she might be in the crosshairs of it. 

Her wandering thoughts came to a halt when she felt Hux cup her cheek, getting her to focus on him. It was as if everything else in his office melted away as he touched her and looked down at her. Her breathing had calmed down. She hadn’t even noticed that her lungs had been slightly struggling in the first place. The contact made her eyes flutter close for a moment, unconsciously tilting her hand into his palm as his thumb brushed the top of her cheek. 

“Search all you like, Ren,” Hux said softly, getting Lyra to open her eyes again. “As I’ve said before, I take good care of my things.” 

“How touching General,” Kylo hummed. 

Hux stepped to the side and felt his hand rest against the small of her back, gently ushering her to take a seat on the couch in his office. It wasn’t until he broke that contact to go back to his desk that a wave of panic washed over her when she realized what was about to happen. Lyra’s eyes snapped over towards Kylo Ren, who was still watching Hux organizing something on his desk. “I care more about the quality of my things, not the quantity, unlike some of us, Ren,” Hux countered. 

She heard Kylo huff under his breath and then turn his attention to her. As he did, he stalked over to her, kneeling in front of her. His gaze and closeness were overwhelming and before she could question herself why, she looked away from the man in front of her and searched for Hux. He had told her that _he_ would never hurt her. That didn’t apply to the deadly man that was now in front of her. 

When Hux did finally look over at her, his face showed no concern. 

“And if you don’t mind, Ren,” Hux said, his eyes sliding away from Lyra to look at the other man, “make this quick, I have a full schedule today and the last thing I need is for you to ruin it with your little games.” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it, General,” Kylo said. 

She felt his eyes on her but she refused to look at him, directly, still silently trying to reach for Hux. 

A layer of silence washed over them and Hux paused in handling the documents on his desk and turned to look at Lyra. “You’ll be fine, princess,” he said, finally speaking _to_ her. 

She opened her mouth to speak but stopped as Kylo’s hand reached out to her, taking her by her chin and forcing her to look at him, her eyes widening. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll try to be gentle,” he told her as a growing headache started to form at the base of her skull. “For your sake,” he added. 

Lyra screwed her eyes shut as the pain increased, gritting her teeth together as she felt Kylo Ren enter her mind. It was a foreign sensation and it felt different from when he had first wandered into her mind. She had no idea what to expect. 

_‘Take deep breaths,’_ she heard Kylo’s voice echoing in the walls of her mind. 

She tried, as best she could to take, slow, steady breaths as he entered further and further into her mind. Eventually, it felt like she was floating, her mind separated from her body as darkness overtook everything. 

* * *

When Lyra became aware of her surroundings again, she wasn’t in Hux’s office anymore. Instead, she was standing outside in a wheat field. The imagery was a shock to her system for a moment before she realized that she wasn’t actually outside, but this was what Kylo wanted her to see at the moment. However, she looked around at the vast expanse of fields that looked like they went on for miles and miles in every direction. She couldn’t see anything else. 

“It’s peaceful here,” she heard his voice. 

She spun around quickly, almost stumbling over her feet to see him there. He was dressed in his usual black attire, minus the helmet. His attention was currently focused on the sprouts of wheat growing near his feet. Lyra looked down at herself to see that she was no longer wearing her sweater and pants but instead the dress she normally wore back on Voss when she went to harvest the crops from the fields. 

“What exactly are you trying to find out?” she asked him as he walked over to her. 

“Nothing, really,” he said, stopping in front of her. “At least, nothing pertaining to the dealings of the First Order. General Hux and I are already aware that you have no connections to the Resistance scum. Plus, the General has kept his pretty eyes on you ever since you boarded this ship.” 

“So then why do all of this?”

“Supreme Leader Snoke,” Kylo stated, “This is simply to put his mind at ease,” he said, but Lyra felt as if he wanted to say more. 

She narrowed her eyes at him. “And?” 

She saw him smile. “And to get you alone.”

Lyra frowned at him. “And why exactly do you want to be alone with me? I don’t have anything to offer you, so why not skip all of this?” she asked him as she gestured to their surroundings. 

“It’s mainly to get under Hux’s skin, so I wouldn’t take it personally,” Kylo told her. “This ship can be a bit boring so ruffling his feathers is my only form of entertainment.” 

“You two seem to go at each other often,” she stated, crossing her arms. 

Kylo shrugged his shoulders at her. “I simply take pleasure in knowing that I ruined something for him and he does the same,” he said. 

Lyra rolled her eyes and turned away from him slightly. “I’d appericate it if I was left out of that,” Lyra said.

“Oh, but princess,” Kylo said, getting closer to her, “You’re his new favorite toy, how could I not? You’re the perfect opportunity to rile him up.”

“I’m not a _toy_. So stop calling me that,” she said, whipping her head back around. 

He didn’t say anything to that, he simply gave her an annoying smile. Raising his hand out towards her, suddenly the wheat fields melted away from them and they were standing in the backyard of the house she had lived in on Voss. The change in scenery threw her for another sensory loop. Lyra once again looked around to take in everything. “Why are you showing me this?” she asked him. 

“Hux has his own ways of picking apart people and I have my own,” he said. 

He opened his mouth to continued but was interrupted by a loud bleating sound. Lyra’s heart jumped inside her chest as she spun around to see the sheep pen. Gasping, she abandoned Kylo and ran over to the gates as fast as she could, flinging the lock off and entering the pen. Lyra dropped to her knees as the young sheep hobbled over to her, bleating happily. She scooped up the sheep, cradling his small body close to hers and practically buried her face into his neck. He smelt of fresh hay and flowers. 

For a moment, she completely forgot Kylo was there. Tears started to swell at the corner of her eyes. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” she whispered to lamb, she had not gotten the chance to name him before she left. 

She spun back around as she heard Kylo enter the sheep pen, turning his nose up slightly. “A farm girl,” he said, looking about the pen at the other sheep who were eating. 

Lyra scratched behind the young lamb’s ear as she hummed softly. “Yeah, these little guys cheered me up whenever I felt down or hopeless,” she told him, although as she spoke, she realized that maybe she shouldn’t have said that. 

_‘Well, I guess he’s already in my mind. He’d probably figure this out anyway,’_ she thought.

“You’re right,” Kylo said.

Lyra immediately blushed. 

“Well,” she said, carefully placing the lamb down and brushing her hands against her skirt, “unless you’re going to start your own farm on the Finalizer, I’m not really sure why we’re here.” 

“This place gives you comfort,” he told her. 

“Oh,” she said and looked down. 

“It wasn’t hard to find, going through your mind,” Kylo said, walking over to her. “But I think I need to pick you apart further, so let’s dig a little deeper, shall we?”

Before Lyra could protest, Kylo’s hand reached out in front of her, and the familiar surrounding of the sheep pen faded away. All she could see was Kylo and darkness for some time before things started to rematerialize around them once again. 

It took her a moment to realize that they were in her room on the _Finalizer_. More specifically, her bedroom. Once again, Lyra looked down at herself and saw that she was no longer wearing the clothes that she wore on Voss, but instead, she was wearing the short, black nightgown she had made. “No!” she gasped and spun around to face Kylo Ren, only to have him push her down on the bed, his body caging her against the sheets. 

“Now this is much more interesting,” Kylo said, glaring down at her.

“Let me go,” Lyra said, and tried in vain to push the bigger man off of her, letting out a soft grunt. 

“Where’s the fun in that?’ he teased her, taking both of her wrists in one hand and pinning them above her head. 

“This isn’t happening,” she squeaked out, trying to shove him off of her with her knee. 

“You’re right, this isn’t really happening, physically,” he purred against her ear, his head moving lower to kiss her neck, “but it can if you want. Hux doesn’t have to know,” he whispered against her ear right before licking it. 

It sent a chill down her spine. “G-Get off of me,” she said, voice cracking. 

“Tell me, I can see that you were so ready to give yourself over to him,” his free hand that wasn’t pinning her wrists down slid down her body and grabbed at her hip, “what would you do if he told you to just lay there and take it? Would you?”

Lyra bit her lip and looked away from him. 

She heard Kylo laugh at her. “I told you before, Hux is a monster, just like me,” he said to her and slowly released her wrists. 

Lyra was about to pull them back down to her body, to try and sit up, but Kylo’s hands were replaced with something else. She snapped her hand up to see manacles and chains wrapped around her wrists, connecting them to the headboard. She started to panic, tugging at them. Kylo sat up, grabbing her chin to make her look at him. “Why don’t you ask him how he gets his information out of others?” Kylo said with a dangerous look in his eyes. 

“I’m sure he’ll be more than pleased to show you,” he said, letting go of her chin. “In fact, I dare say that grumpy old Hux would be excited to show off his other _personal_ toys.” 

Lyra felt her lower lip tremble as she said nothing. 

“This is all in my head, none of this is real,” she said and yanked at the chains.

Kylo got off her and watched her for a while, trying to break the cuffs on her wrists. Eventually, their illusion broke and faded away. Lyra moved back on the bed, trying to put some distance between them. 

“Hux can touch every inch of your body,” he said, his voice husky and low. “Kiss every part of you and fuck any of your tight holes,”

Lyra shivered.

“But he can never be inside you like I can, picking apart your mind like this,” he told her, “And that’ll drive him up a wall,” he said, almost laughing. 

“You’re awful,” she said.

“You believe that Hux is any greater of a man than I am?” Kylo asked her. 

Lyra opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.

“Didn’t think so,” he said.

Lyra pressed her lips together in frustration. 

“I’d like to see you in a different cage,” Kylo said, once again getting closer to her, but Lyra started to back away slowly. 

“You’ve had your fun, let’s just stop this,” she told him, still backing away. 

Kylo’s big hand snatched her wrist like a bolt of lighting and yanked her into his chest, his other coming around her waist and pulling her close. “Oh, but I think you’ll enjoy this one,” he said almost sweetly. 

She didn’t like the sound of that and tried in vain to get out of his hold but yet again, everything started to fade into an endless void. The darkness around them seemed to linger, even when things started to appear around them once again. However, this time was different. Something inside of her was setting off all of her alarm bells as she took in her surroundings. The whole entire hallway they were in was lined with cobblestones and rusty torches seemed to be the only source of light. The air and her chest felt heavy as she tried to take a few deep breaths before speaking. 

“Where are we?”

“You tell me, princess,” Kylo said, not moving as Lyra pushed away from him and looked down the halls. 

She heard a loud bang echo off the walls, causing her to jump. “I don’t remember this place,” she said. 

Kylo shrugged his shoulders at her, to which she glared at him. 

“I’ve had enough of this, so just stop this little game of yours,” she hissed.

“We’re done when I say we’re done,” he told her. 

A small fire of hatred was starting to burn in her stomach. She went to ball her hands up into fists but felt something hard in her right hand. Lyra glanced down to see her hunting rifle had appeared in her hand. She rarely used it when she was on Voss, only ever picking it up when the winter months were bad and food supplies were low. Carefully, she drew it upwards, her other hand cradling the barrel of the rifle. 

“What is-”

“Just a precaution,” Kylo said and started to walk down the hall where she had heard the loud noise coming from. 

“Of none of this is real, then I won’t need it,” she told him.

“We’ll see,” he mused.

Lyra looked down at the gun and then at Kylo’s retreating back, simply standing in her spot. She took a deep breath before following him. _‘It’s fine, none of this is actually happening. None of this is real. Just stick it out a little longer and this will be all over,’_ she thought as she caught up with Kylo Ren. 

The stone hallway opened up into a large room, also illuminated with torches. She looked around, holding the gun close to her. The strange sense of familiarity prickled at the corners of her mind but she couldn’t place it just it. She heard the faint dripping of water echoing as Kylo stood off to the side of the room, facing something. Curious, and somewhat on edge, Lyra walked over to stand beside him to get a look at what had caught his attention. 

Lyra’s breath got caught in her throat as everything snapped into place inside her head. She knew exactly where she was. In front of them was a small cage, standing a few feet high with dense metal bars that were rusted and dirty. Lyra felt her chest tighten as she watched the small child in the cage crying silently.

“And here I thought you couldn’t get any smaller,” Kylo said next to her but Lyra was unmoving. 

It was her, around the age of seven, locked up in a cage in the holding cells that were located under the capitol building on Voss. She had only ever been thrown down here once. And that was because-

“Stop that whining!”

Lyra gasped as her eyes started to tear up, her whole entire body grew taut in pure panic at the sound of Lady Cartlan’s voice. She didn’t dare turn around to see her. The younger version of herself only cried harder inside the cage. She was wearing dirty rags that were falling apart at the seams and her skin was caked in dirt from the cold, hard stone floor. She looked nothing like a princess. 

She heard the older woman’s footsteps getting closer and the felt the tips of her fingers dig into the metal and wood of the gun. This version of Lady Cartlan walked right by Lyra and Kylo and bent down to throw something at the young child. 

“You just have to spoil everything, don’t you? I can never have nice things because of you, you ungrateful hog of a brat!” Lady Cartlan yelled.

From the low light of the torches in the room, Lyra knew that Lady Cartlan had thrown her mother’s broken crown at her feet inside the cage. Her belly rolled in rage and anger.

“I should keep you locked up down here until I can convince your father to marry you off to some kitchen worker or tradesman. Then maybe I wouldn’t have to see that ugly little face of yours,” Lady Cartlan ranted. 

“Charming as ever,” Kylo commented but Lyra still stared at the back of Lady Cartlan’s head.

Her younger self inside the cage started to beg and apologize to her, pleading to let her out. Lyra was slowly starting to remember how her body ached sleeping restlessly on the cold, wet floor. 

“She’s just another monster,” Lyra whispered, her throat tensing up as she spoke.

As she spoke, Lady Cartlan stopped harassing her younger self and looked over her shoulder, glaring right at Lyra. 

“How did you get out of your cage? No matter, I’ll put you back where you belong,” lady Cartlan said. 

Lyra slowly backed away from her, gripping the rifle in her hands and slowly pointing it in her general direction. 

“You can stop this,” Kylo said, gesturing to her gun.

“I don’t want to kill her,” she said, the rifle trembling in her grasp.

“You don’t have to kill her,” Kylo said next to her, slowly walking to her other side. “But just imagine how good it would feel if you did.”

“I’d feel guilty,” she argued as she watched the dream-like version of Lady Cartlan carefully stand up.

“Would you?” he asked her, “Or is that what you think the right answer is?”

She didn’t say anything and gripped the rifle tighter as Lady Cartlan turned towards her. 

“It can feel liberating,” he whispered in her ear. “Trust me.”

Lyra dared a glance at him. “I have no reason to trust you.”

He didn’t say anything to that, instead he positioned himself behind her, both hands snaking around her hips. “You don’t, but you have all the reasons in the galaxy to shoot her,” he breathed against her, his lips barely touched the top of her ear. 

She let out a shaky breath as she refocused on Lady Cartlan in front of her. She was walking towards her in what seemed like slow motion. Lyra shifted the rifle slightly higher against her shoulder. 

“You can’t make any of this go away,” she said, laughing at her. “Do you really think someone like General Hux would truly love you?”

“H-He promised me,” Lyra said, her whole body trembling like a leaf. “He wouldn’t l-l-lie to me.”

Lady Cartlan laughed louder at her. “No one can love you, you insolent brat. You have nothing to offer anyone let alone for someone as important as General Hux. You’ll be thrown away soon enough. You should know this by now, or are you that stupid of a girl?” she said.

“First your father, then your uncle, that whole sad excuse of a piss poor village you grew up in didn’t want anything to do with you,” Lady Cartlan told her. “They were only interested in the things you could do _for them_. Knit useless blankets and scarfs. Maybe Hux will finally see the light once he’s done using you and throw you back in some washed up village.” 

“You’re going this,” she said, glancing over her shoulder to look at Kylo for a moment, “Make her stop.”

“Last time I checked, we’re in your mind, not mine. Everything that you see and hear is all coming from within you, girl,” he hummed, his grip on her hip grew tighter. “However, there is one convenient way of shutting her up,” he added, bringing up one of his hands to tap against the barrel of the gun. 

Lyra swallowed around the lump in her throat. 

“You’ll go running to the first person that shows you an ounce of attention. You’re just desperate for someone to love you, for _anyone_ to love you,” Lady Cartlan said, inching closer to her. “Even someone as evil as General Hux.” 

“Shut up,” she said as tears started to form at the corner of her eyes. 

“It doesn’t even matter that they lock you up and order you around, huh? Because you’ll never know what true love feels like. You don’t deserve it,” Lady Cartlan said, moving closer. “You don’t deserve _anything!_ ”

“Shut up,” she said, louder. 

“You wouldn’t even make a good whore. You’re better off being fertilizer for my gardens,” she said, cackling. “Who would want to touch some bastard like you? Once he realizes just how useless you are, you’ll be thrown to the side like always.” 

Lyra’s vision blurred together as she grew closer to her. 

“I should’ve offed you when I had the chance, it would’ve saved everyone so much trouble if you were just _dead_. No matter, I can do that right now,” she said and suddenly she was no longer moving in slow motion. 

It all happened so fast. In a burst of adrenaline, Lyra flipped the rifle around and knocked the hilt of the gun against Lady Cartlan’s skull and watched her drop to the ground. Lyra took in a deep breath as she stared down at her, crumpled up on the floor, holding her head. 

“Impressive swing,” Kylo said, but it was muffled by the blood rushing in her ears.

She walked forward, breaking Kylo hold on her until she stood directly above Lady Cartlan who was grasping at the ground to move away from her. Lyra didn’t say anything as she stepped on her long, flowy dress, pinning her in place. Kylo said something behind her but she didn’t register what he was saying, her full attention now on the woman below her feet. For a moment, Lyra remembered all the times she had been in a similar position. She could hear herself screaming inside her head, faded memories echoing and bouncing off the walls of her mind. She remembered being on the ground, crying, begging for her to stop, pleading for mercy, for her mother and father to come and rescue her. Nobody ever came for her. She moved her foot and stepped on her lower back, pressing down hard until a pained noise came from Lady Cartlan’s throat. Lyra pressed down harder. 

She heard Lady Cartlan squeak out something unintelligent. Lyra flipped the gun back around. 

“You’re wrong,” she said as tears fell down her cheek. “You never showed me _any_ mercy,” Lyra said, her shoulders shaking. “I always begged for you to stop but you _just kept pushing me._ ”

Lyra paused for a moment as Lady Cartlan tried to move out from under her foot. She put the barrel of the gun against the back of her head, slowly adding pressure. 

“But I’m not like you,” she whispered as tears blurred her vision. “I won’t ever be like you,” she said and cocked the rifle. 

She heard her start to beg and plead to her not to do it, to show her mercy.

“I’ll show you mercy.”

The shot rang out and Lyra immediately dropped the rifle, hearing it clattered against the ground and stumbling back and away from Lady Cartlan. The ringing in her ears was so loud that she moved to cover them. She quickly turned her back to her, letting out a loud cry herself. _‘No, no, no,’_ she thought. “What have I done!?” she screamed.

She felt like she was falling but she grew steady as Kylo was once again by her side, this time one of his hands latched itself onto her shoulder, steadying her. “Look,” he said but Lyra closed her eyes and shook her head back and forth almost violently. 

She heard him sigh above her and then forced her back around, gripping her wrists and pulling them away from her ears. “N-No!” she screamed. 

“ _Look._ ”

Her eyes flew open. 

Lady Cartlan’s body was gone. 

Kylo let go of her hands and they fell to her side. “I-I don’t-”

“What you did wasn’t real...but the emotions you felt were,” he told her. 

Lyra was trying to stop her tears, sniffling so hard that she made herself hiccup. Never in her life had she ever thought that she would be capable of doing something so horrible, so vile, so evil. It made her stomach turn. 

“I think we’re done here, for now,” Kylo said, causing Lyra to look up at him as his hand reached out and caressed her forehead.

Everything slowly started to melt away until there was nothing but darkness once again. 

* * *

Tears sprung from her eyes as she felt him finally leave her mind alone. Her vision was blurry and it took her a moment to recognize her surroundings. She still felt a lingering presence of him insider her head, like the sound of drumming fingers on hardwood, echoing. Lyra’s hands released their tight grip on the couch and let out a shaky breath to calm herself down. She quickly blinked her tears away as Kylo came into focus and then the rest of the room slowly. 

“I take it you found what you were looking for,” she heard Hux’s voice next to her but he sounded so far away. 

“You almost have me jealous, General,” Kylo spoke as he slowly stood up from his kneeling position on the floor. 

Lyra was still trying to collect herself as the two of them physically talked over her. 

“She’s quite imaginative...when pushed,” Kylo said. 

Lyra’s attention was currently focused on the far wall of Hux’s office as the two of them talked. The aching feeling in her head still too great to focus on the words they were exchanging in front of her. She didn’t know how long her eyes scanned the empty wall, trying to ease the pain inside her skull. Eventually, the door to Hux’s office opened and closed, breaking the spell she was under and getting herself to refocus on her surroundings. 

She quickly looked around, searching the whole room, realizing that Kylo Ren had left. Lyra quickly then turned to General Hux who was standing beside her, silent and unmoving. She looked up at him, her lower lip trembling. 

“H-He saw me...he knows that we…” she didn’t know what to say. “I-I didn’t…”

“I know,” was all he said as he reached out and brushed her blonde hair that had fallen in front of her face. She noticed that he had put his glove back on. 

“Ren’s skills, while useful to the First Order, are not entirely my favorite method of extracting information,” he informed her, withdrawing his hand from her. 

“Stay here,” he said and Lyra watched silently as he left the office. 

Lyra tucked her hair behind her ear and took a deep breath. 

She looked up as Hux came back into the office, carrying a small silver tray. He walked over to his desk, setting the tray on top. Lyra tilted her head to get a better look at it and noticed the elegant tea set that was placed on it. Silence hung over them as Hux poured the steaming liquid into the small cups. He gracefully picked up both cups and sat beside Lyra on the couch, keeping a bit of distance from her as he handed her one of the cups. 

A softly thank you tumbled over her lips as she took the cup in both hands, staring down at the swirling tea. “I’ve found that Tarine tea helps after having Ren running amuck inside one’s head,” he said, finally breaking the silence. 

She looked up at him. 

“Nothing is off-limits to him when he gets inside someone’s head especially if they aren’t prepared or if they have not received any training in order to block him out,” Hux told her, raising the teacup to his lips. 

“You don’t have to talk about what he made you see or made you relive. As I’ve said before, I don’t expect you to trust me imm-”

“He made me relive being harassed and...and tortured by my step-mother,” Lyra said, cutting him off. 

Hux didn’t respond. 

“At one point,” Lyra said, holding the teacup closer to her chest, “when my step-mother had found out she couldn’t wear my mother’s coronation crown to a party, she got mad at me.”

She let out a dry laugh, she didn’t know why she was suddenly so talkative, “It was so petty. She blamed me because technically the crown is mine and she didn’t like that,” Lyra continued, gripping the cup tighter. 

“She had been crossed with me before and so many times after that but,” she hesitated. 

“But that time, I thought I was truly going to die,” she said as she looked at Hux. “She beat me and then had me locked in the prison cells for a week. When she was done with her party she brought the crown to me while she still had me locked up and broke it right in front of me.” 

She turned her attention back to her tea as she felt her eyes aching to shed tears. 

“Drink,” Hux said as he took a sip from his own cup. 

Lyra looked at the dark liquid and slowly brought it to her lips, taking a small sip. The tea burnt her tongue a bit but she could taste the soft notes of peach and mint. 

“What did you do about it?” he asked her. “What did you visualize doing?”

When her eyes found his face again, his expression was serious. Her pointer finger tapped against the rim of the teacup as she thought it over. “I thought...I thought I just wanted to make her pay at first,” she explained, once again gripping the teacup tightly. 

“I just wanted her to-to _see_ everything that she’d done to me and to regret it. To regret all of it and,” she started to work herself up. “I was angry,” she told him. “I was just so angry and she wouldn’t _stop!_ ” she raised her voice.

Again, Hux said nothing. 

“I didn’t mean to…”

“What did you think of doing to her?”

Lyra bit her lip before answering. “I killed her.” 

Silence.

“Good,” he said and took another sip from his tea.

Lyra stared at him in mild shock and confusion. “I-I’m not a bad person,” she said quickly. 

“Killing isn’t inherently bad,” he told her as he placed his cup down on the side table next to the couch. 

It was Lyra’s turn to look on in silence. 

“In order to survive, sometimes we are faced with a difficult choice, life or death,” he said.

“Or imprisonment,” Lyra added. 

She noticed a twitch of a smile on Hux’s lips. “Or imprisonment. But,” he continued, “It’s the natural order of the universe. In order to survive sometimes, one must kill. To eat and to live.”

“Survival of the fittest,” Lyra said, calming down and taking another sip of tea. 

“Not fittest, no,” Hux hummed as he leaned one of his arms against the top of the couch, “you simply need to be the smartest in the room.” 

Lyra let out a huff of a laugh as she held her cup close to her face. “Then I guess that would make you the smartest person in this room,” she said.

“For now,” he mused, reaching to take Lyra’s cup away from her and setting it down next to his. “And how are you feeling?”

Lyra sighed softly. “Alright, I guess, my head doesn’t hurt as much anymore.” 

“Good,” Hux hummed and took her hand in his, squeezing softly, getting her attention back on him.

He then let go of her hand in favor of grabbing her small waist and hoisting her onto his lap, her legs slotted on either side of his thighs. He was quick and fluid in his movements of picking her up that it took her mind a moment to catch up. Lyra’s hands immediately went to place themselves on his shoulders, giving him a slightly bewildered look. 

“Hux?”

“Now that we have some privacy, I figured now would be a good time to talk over some things,” he mused, letting his eyes wander over her face. 

“But I thought you said you had a full schedule today and-you lied?” 

Lyra again noticed the small shadow of a smile on his face. “I did say that, didn’t I,” he said as his hands dipped under her sweater.

The feeling of his warm leather gloves against her sides and stomach had her shivering in his hold. “I never specified exactly what I’d be doing today,” Hux told her. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my story! I hope you enjoyed it! This is my first attempt at a series-type piece, so hopefully, it won't flop too bad. I would love to know what others think about it, so please feel free to comment or let me know! Thank you again!


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